My Love For You Is Undying
by jenthehedgehog
Summary: When Amy informs Shadow that there is a way to bring back his beloved Maria, will he succeed in his mission? Some Shadamy also.
1. Chapter 1

My second fan fic, I have tried hard on this one but not too sure how good it is!

Disclaimer: i do not own any characters in this.

Shadow allowed one single tear to escape from his bright, ruby eyes, making sure the rest would not show themselves. He did not like to reveal his emotions.

" Maria," he whispered gently staring into the dark night sky where no stars were visible, all hidden behind a thick blanket of coal black cloud. The moon barely showed its pale white face from behind them, and the silky glow that usually erupted from within it was non existent.

" Maria," Shadow repeated, his usual monotonal voice containing a hint of sorrow as he continued to think about the innocent young girl he had once grew close to.

This day 56 years ago would have been the day Maria had died, and Shadow could recall it like it was yesterday. During the day he would not allow his mind to wander to the subject, on the precaution that Sonic and his friends would sense he was troubled. But now he was alone, and he remembered the twelve-year-old, bubbly, blond. He could remember her dying wish…

Flashback 

"_Shadow, please, do it for me and all those people on that planet. Give them a chance to be happy, Shadow, I know you can do it. Sayounara Shadow The Hedgehog."_

End of flashback 

' I have saved the world,' Shadow thought sadly, ' I have made the people on this ungrateful planet happy, and she can't see it.'

" IF ONLY I CAN BRING HER BACK!" Shadow yelled, bringing all his loss and anger to the surface in that one statement. He eventually succumbed to his emotion and collapsed to the floor, finally giving permission for all his tears to fall from his sorrowful eyes.

" Shadow," a soft voice made itself heard from behind him, and he felt a warm hand rest gently on his shoulder.

" Amy," Shadow stated recognising the sweet voice, the voice that reminded him of his promise a few years before today, of course she would know what day it was. He brushed of her hand, and lowered his head so maybe she would not notice it was wet with tears, although she probably already knew he was crying.

Amy sat besides the mysterious, ebony hedgehog and gave him a weak smile, as though she knew something he didn't. Shadow lifted his head. There was no point trying to conceal his emotions, not to her. He stared into her shimmering emerald eyes and tried to smile back, although his mouth did not move.

"Shadow, I do not want to give you false hope, but I think I know how to bring Maria back," Amy said carefully, successfully hiding the excitement she felt.

Shadow opened his mouth wide in shock at this sudden outburst from the petite, pink hedgehog, not sure weather she was telling the truth although he was sure she would not make up something as major as that.

" How?" he demanded, his scarlet eyes turning to flames that seemed to light his whole face.

Amy was not at all hesitant to present Shadow with her theory, and seemed to be enjoying the attention that the enigmatic, older, hedgehog was giving her.

" There is a legend, you must have heard of it. The legend of the eighth chaos emerald that holds immense powers, even more than the master itself. If that emerald is used together with the other seven emeralds their combined energy is enough to bring back a loved one, enough to bring back Maria. I know where that emerald is located. It has taken me years of research, but I am now pretty sure of its whereabouts." She explained while Shadow listened intently.

" OF COURSE!" Shadow exclaimed happily leaping to his feet and dragging Amy up with him, but then he stopped celebrating and looked at the pink hedgehog with a puzzled expression on his face.

" Why are you doing this for me?" he asked confused, " I thought you would be the type that would help give that blue hedgehog the emerald, you do seem to cling on to him a lot."

Amy's expression suddenly became serious and she stared down at her feet.

" Let's say that me and Sonic are no longer on speaking terms, and I thought… well I lov… I wanted to make you happy" She whispered awkwardly fiddling with her dress.

Shadow realised not to ask anymore about the subject, she was obviously being troubled by something and he had his own problems to worry about, but something in her sadness unlocked a feeling in his heart. A feeling that he ought to cheer up the usually overly happy female, something he had not felt since Maria was around.

Much to his and Amy's surprise he picked up the pink hedgehog and held her in his arms as he ran at full speed towards her apartment. She giggled lightly as she felt the wind in her quills and saw the night sky zoom past her head which melted Shadows heart making him smile, a rare action from him.

As he reached the apartment Shadow placed the still giggling female outside the front door where she gave him a friendly hug, and to her surprise he did not push her away from him. He actually hugged her back. As they let go of each other Shadow noticed the clouds were starting to clear, and many bright stars had appeared. They were reflected in Amy's emerald eyes making them sparkle and shine and the effect it gave made Amy look beautiful. Shadow blushed lightly looking at her, and Amy smiled noticing this.

" Well, will I see you tomorrow to discuss plans?" Amy asked, and Shadow nodded vigorously not sure weather he was more excited about plans for retrieving the Emerald, or about seeing the pink hedgehog again.

" Meet you at the park by 10!" He spoke enthusiastically. Amy smiled widely, the smile that sent shivers down Shadow's entire body.

" Okay see ya!" She laughed as she let herself into her apartment.

Shadow smiled also as he made his way towards his own house, excited about what the future held for him.

That was the first chapter, if it was good enough there is more to come!


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, here is the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.

Shadow paced impatiently through the colourful park in Station Square waiting for Amy to arrive. Bright, cheerful, flowers of many species surrounded him, and the trees bared candyfloss pink blossom suitable for the time of year. The sky was baby blue in colour and only a few fluffy clouds floated through the air changing their shapes. The sun was clearly visible and its fiery rays warmed Shadow's fur and made the park seem even brighter, too bright in Shadow's opinion.

As he walked he noticed a medium sized bush growing dozens of pale pink roses that was the exact shade of Amy's hair. Shadow gave a tiny smile as he picked the prettiest one for her.

' Wait, what am I doing?' he suddenly thought puzzled by his own actions, ' Why am I giving Amy a flower? I am NOT falling for her!' Shadow pulled off all the petals from the rose and dropped it on the floor where he quickly stamped on it, disgusted with his own feelings.

" Heya Shadow!" a cheerful voice cried from behind Shadow which made him jump. He turned round and found the petite, pink hedgehog waving at him cheerfully, blending in with the surroundings. The ebony hedgehog did not look right standing amongst the colour, he seemed too dark and dull unlike the fourteen year old Amy who was a burst of reds and pinks as usual.

" Hello Amy, what's the plan?" Shadow asked getting straight down to business without any friendly words, much to Amy's disappointment.

" Well we need the other seven chaos emeralds aswell as the eighth," she started, " so we should start with them!"

Shadow nodded, she was talking sense. The seven chaos was always tricky to get, so there was no point retrieving the eighth until they had the others.

" I know for a fact that Tails is the owner of one of the emeralds, so we should get that one first. He should lend it to us." Amy continued, and again Shadow agreed with her.

They both set off at a light jog towards Tails' workshop. Shadow would have preferred a quicker pace, but Amy complained much to his amusement that she could not run very well in hot weather.

When the two hedgehogs reached their destination the workshop seemed very quiet. Usually when you approached it loud bangs of a hammer or the sound of machinery could be heard, but today there was nothing. The only sounds that could be heard were the birds singing as they flew across the clear sky, and the waterfall as it poured water into the beautiful lake at the bottom. The mystic ruins seemed to be quite peaceful and relaxing. Shadow had a feeling that Tails was not in, and he was not happy about that. He wanted the Emerald at all costs.

Shadow waited impatiently as Amy knocked on the workshop door.

' Please be in,' he thought to himself, but after several knocks on the door from Amy there was still no answer.

" I don't think he's in Shad!" Amy exclaimed pointing out the obvious.

Shadow rolled his eyes and replied sarcastically, " No you don't say… and do NOT call me Shad!"

Amy's face fell for a second at the remark but lit up again as she pulled out her giant Piko Piko Hammer from nowhere.

" Let's steal the Emerald!" she cried cheerfully. Shadow was taken aback. It was unlike Amy to suggest stealing from her friends, he was not complaining, but it was weird. He watched with a small smile as she swung the hammer into the door shattering into a million splinters and laughed with her as she did a dance of success. She gave him a warm feeling inside, which made his heart tingle.

' Why is Amy making me feel like this?' Shadow thought to himself confused, ' I have not had fun with someone like this since… since Maria died.' His thoughts started to wander to Maria as he saw Amy enter the workshop in search of the Emerald.

Shadow sat down on the grass outside the workshop. Although it was warm, the sun had not evaporated all of the morning dew and the ground was damp, but he ignored how it was wetting his fur as he thought about how Maria died…

_Flashback_

_Shadow ran as fast as he could. The long ARK corridors seemed endless; this was one time he wished the space colony were smaller. He looked over his shoulder where Maria was running a few metres behind him. Her face was screwed up in pain as she pushed her frail body to its full speed, panting, running out of breath. Shadow turned back and grabbed hold of the twelve-year-olds delicate hand pulling her behind him, removing some of the difficulty._

_They were running from the GUN soldiers who invaded the colony trying to shut down the professor's research. They wanted both Shadow and Maria dead. Suddenly Shadow stopped in shock. There was four soldiers blocking their way, all pointing pistols at them. Maria gasped frightened and squeezed Shadow's hand tight. All of a sudden a loud BANG was heard as one of the soldiers pulled the trigger. Maria was at the receiving end of the bullet. She collapsed to the floor, her eyes closing shut and her body lifeless._

" _MARIA!" Shadow screamed._

_End Of Flashback_

" Maria!" Shadow screamed as the horrible images came flooding back to him. A tear formed in his eyes and before Shadow could brush it away it fell, rolling down his cheek.

" I've got the Emerald!" A lively voice cried as more tears streamed from Shadow's eyes. He made no congratulations to the pink hedgehog as he sat staring up at the sun; his tears sparkling in the light making them more noticeable to whim he was trying to hide them from.

" Oh Shadow," Amy said softly guessing correctly what Shadow was weeping about put her hand on his shoulder, " We will bring her back soon." She wiped the tears from Shadow's cheeks. Shadow's heart skipped a beat at this gesture, and knew he could not conceal his feelings for her any longer. Shadow stood up and faced Amy staring into her deep Emerald eyes which always held so much energy and happiness, and placed a sweet kiss on Amy's lips making her long for more. As she caught his eye again Shadow blushed a violent shade of pink and turned away from her embarrassed, witch made Amy smile. She knew how rare it was for him to express his feelings.

They sat in silence on the grass all the rest of the day enjoying each others company and watching the sky change from pale blue to orangy red to black, until the stars and the moon were reflected in the lake. None of them saying anything, none of them needing too. Both hedgehogs needed time to think about their lives. They continued to sit until an angry voice made them both leap up in shock.

" WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY WORKSHOP!"

I kind of got stuck half way through, so this was the best I could produce. I just could not think of anything! Anyway, chapter three is coming up soon!


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, this chapter is a bit short, but I have already started the next one. Thanks for the reviews!

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters.

" WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY WORKSHOP!"

The two hedgehogs leapt up off the ground and turned around. A yellowy orange two tailed fox was staring straight at them. His usually friendly face was now red with anger as he saw the awful state his prized workshop was in.

" Amy, did you do this with your stupid hammer?" Tails asked coolly staring at Amy in the eye.

Amy felt herself going as red as her headband as she gave a quick nod. At the time of destroying the place she had not really considered what Tails would make of the damage, she had not really considered anything. Amy looked up at Shadow for help with explaining what happened, but he was conveniently avoiding all eye contact, staring up at the starry sky. She knew she would have to do this alone.

" Um… sorry Tails," The pink hedgehog said lamely looking down at her feet, as if the word sorry would make everything better again. It didn't. Tails seemed to be even angrier than before, but he was concealing it well, trying to act calm under the circumstances.

" Amy you better come inside, you too Shadow. We need to talk," The ten-year-old fox said calmly, gesturing at the ruined doorway. Amy walked slowly into the wrecked workshop feeling extremely disappointed in herself. She had never seen Tails this angry before, and he had a good reason to be.

The damage was even more apparent inside. The splinters from the door were scattered all over the workshop floor, and the whole room was a mess. As Amy was searching for the Emerald she tipped over countless filing cabinets mixing up all of Tails' files and important formulae, she destroyed many machine components, and bashed his new machine The Tornado Zed so it had a dent in the side.

Tails sat down on his sofa, but jumped off it again as he felt a spring go up his bum. Amy had wrecked that too. He gave a long sigh and sat on the floor, making sure he did not sit where any wood was.

" Amy, why did you ruin my workshop?" Tails interrogated. Amy looked at Shadow who this time was looking at her. He gave a small shake of his head which Amy understood to mean don't tell him the truth.

" I…got angry," Amy lied, and the fox was unconvinced.

" Tell the truth Amy." He said slowly staring at her straight in her watery eyes, trying to detect if she was lying or not. Amy remained silent, breaking the eye contact and staring at the floor. Tails looked at Shadow who just stared back, his deep ruby eyes burning into Tails' like flames.

" FINE!" he yelled, " GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN AMY, SONIC WAS RIGHT YOU HAVE CHANGED!" Tails stood up and pointed a gloved finger outside, glaring at the hedgehogs that immediately walked slowly out of the workshop and into the cold night, the opposite temperature to the burning heat earlier.

As soon as they were out of Tails' earshot, Amy fell to the floor and immediately started to cry, all her guilt and disappointment in herself flowing into the already damp grass. Shadow stood watching. He felt as though he should comfort the petite hedgehog, but he was not sure he was able to. So instead he just watched her, waiting till all her tears had stopped before he started to talk again. There was something he needed to know.

" Amy, what happened between you and Sonic," Amy blinked, successfully holding back more tears and managed to say,

" Its not important," as she stood up and forced a smile onto her face which looked incredibly fake, unlike the usual cheerful ones she gives out. Shadow decided not to press the matter, and returned his thoughts to the retrieving of the rest of the Chaos Emeralds.

" Amy, do you know where the other Emeralds are?" He decided to ask instead. Amy shook her head.

Shadow was annoyed. How could they succeed in their mission without knowing where to start looking for the Emeralds, what was she thinking.

Shadow thought for a second. How could he find Emeralds? He would never ask that blue hedgehog for help, especially now there was something going on between Sonic and Amy. He was not even sure why he had Amy with him, he usually hated having help, but it was different with Amy. She made him feel things he has not felt for years, she reminded him of Maria…but still, he needed the Emeralds and he had no way of finding them.

Then he thought of it. Who better to ask then Rouge? Amy hated Rouge and tries to kill her whenever she sees her, but he actually got on with her. She would certainly help them and she was a talented treasure hunter. He only needed to tell Amy…


	4. Chapter 4

Here is chapter four! It took me a while to update because I could not think of anything, but here is what I came up with! I hope you enjoy!

" Why is that bat slut here Shadow?" Amy said coolly, glaring at Rouge who was giving Amy an equally evil stare from the other side of the table. Shadow groaned. He knew this was not going to be easy.

He invited both girls to the coffee shop in Station Square, neither one knowing the other to be there. Shadow regrets doing that now. He did not tell Amy he was going to have Rouge helping them to get the Emeralds as he knew she'd protest, but he had no other choice but to have her help.

" Amy, we need Rouge. We need someone who can locate the Emeralds for us." Shadow explained slowly. Amy looked rather hurt.

" I can locate Emeralds too you know, I did work out the location of the eighth one. I bet Rouge could not do that!" Amy replied.

Shadow sighed. He knew how long it took Amy to find the whereabouts of that Emerald, two years!

" Rouge stays." Shadow finalised. Amy took a long sip of her coffee, trying not to look at the smirking bat sitting opposite her. Amy hated Rouge. The way that she was always the centre of attention with her treasure hunting skills, and sexy figure. Amy was jealous of her, and scared. Scared that Shadow might start to like the older bat and leave Amy.

All three of them drank their coffees in awkward silence, until Shadow asked Rouge where she thinks the second Chaos Emerald was.

" That's easy, it's in the desert nearby the mystic ruins." She said in a tone of voice that made Amy want to give her a taste of her hammer.

Shadow noticed the look on Amy's face and smiled briefly. The way she overreacted to everything made him laugh. Then what Rouge said finally sunk in. The desert. That desert was sandy, dry, and had claimed many victims to its overwhelming heat. Amy barely managed the sun in the park yesterday, how could she cope in a desert. Shadow was not going to make Amy go, he could not risk loosing her. He loved her, even though he would hardly show it. Shadow was not the type to be too affectionate, especially in public.

" Amy, are you going to come with us to the desert, you don't have to if you don't want too. I could meet up with you tonight or tomorrow, depending on how long it will take." Shadow said softly, hinting subtly that he wanted her to remain at home.

Amy looked at the ebony hedgehog that was sat next to her. She did not really want to go she hated hot weather. But she looked at Rouge. Amy would hate to see the look on her face if she did not go. She was not to be second best to the batgirl.

" I am going." Amy stated firmly, but with a trace of uncertainty in her voice that Rouge picked up on.

" Don't worry little girl, we will take good care of you." Rouge teased. Amy started to get up, but Shadow restrained her. The task of getting the rest of the Emeralds may prove to be harder than he thought.

After everyone had finished their drinks, they went home arranging to meet up at the Mystic Ruins later that morning.

Amy was panicking as she packed her small, pink rucksack with half a dozen bottles of water, bottles of sunscreen, and other items. Amy also packed Tails' Chaos Emerald just in case. She was not going to tell Shadow that, she was strong enough not to rely on him Chaos Controlling there. Amy wanted to appear strong to him and Rouge. She changed her outfit two a white strappy top with pink shorts, and wore a pair of pink sunglasses. Amy was really worried, she has been known to collapse in the heat of summer and wanting to stay in the shade of her home. She considered ringing Shadow telling him she was going to stay, but then she pictured the smug look on Rouge's face. There was no way she was going to be weaker than that bat.

An hour later they were all at the Mystic Ruins, keeping a safe distance from Tails' workshop. Rouge had brought along a map of the desert, but it all just looked the same.

" The Emerald is in that square there," she said putting a gloved finger on that place on the map. To Amy's disappointment it seemed to be in the centre, along way to walk in the heat.

" Okay, lets go." Cried Shadow, and they all started to run towards the desert.

When the trio reached the edge of the desert they looked on awe-struck. As far as they could see was sand. Sand as far as the eye could see. There were a few cactuses aswell, standing up tall in the overwhelming heat. It was hot, really hot. It made them sweat, and Amy wished she wore less. There was a warm breeze blowing, making the heat even more unbearable, and blowing sand in their faces. It was worse then they all thought it would be. The sun was high in the cloudless sky, burning red and orange.

Shadow made the first brave step, the hot sand burning his feet even through the air shoes. The wind picked up slightly blowing the sand around more, clouding his vision. He squinted, trying to see ahead and protect his eyes. He wished he wore sunglasses like Amy.

Shadow took another step then another, and gestured for the girls to follow into the deadly heat. They walked for about fifteen minutes, and even that short amount of time took its toll. They all were struggling to move their legs onwards, taking long sips of their water and brushing the sweat from their foreheads. Shadow looked back at Amy. She was struggling the most. She was walking a couple of metres behind him and Rouge, and her face was bright red. Amy constantly clutched a bottle of water, and she looked like she was about to collapse. She could barely drag her feet forward.

Shadow stopped and waited for her to catch up much to Rouge's annoyance. Standing still in the heat was even worse than moving in it. When Amy finally made it, Shadow grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her along in the heat making it slightly easier for her. It reminded him of that day on the ARK when he did the same for Maria, but it still led to disastrous consequences for her. He was not going to let the same thing happen to Amy.

They continued to carry on walking through the dessert for another twenty minutes. All of it looked the same; there was nothing to define where they were. They felt lost, stuck in the middle of nowhere even though Rouge assured them she knew where she was going.

Suddenly Shadow felt a sharp tug downwards on his hand making him stop. He turned around frantically and found the pink hedgehog lying in the sand, her eyes closed, unmoving.

" AMY!" he cried immediately picking her up, cradling her in his arms. She was still breathing, but barely. Her smooth quills were covered in sand, and her forehead was incredibly hot. Shadow poured water in her mouth, and over her head, but it did not make a difference. He knew he should not of let her go with him.

" Rouge, stop and help!" He cried to the white bat that had continued to walk, seemingly oblivious to the whole situation. She stopped and rolled her eyes, strutting slowly towards Shadow who was still holding on to Amy tightly.

" Shad, were in the middle of a desert, and we still need to collect the Emerald. Just leave her, she is not important."

Shadow stared at Rouge, his ruby eyes burning into hers making her look away. He could not believe she had said that. Leave her. He would never leave her; he was to save her.

" She is important to me, we are not going anywhere without her. And do NOT call me Shad!" He yelled panicking. Amy seemed to be getting hotter with each passing second, and her breathing was frailer and less constant.

Rouge nodded understandingly. She could see now how much Amy meant to him, she thought Amy was just following Shadow around like she did to Sonic before…but anyway, Rouge could now see that Shadow felt strongly towards her. She was going to help, for Shadows sake. She still hated the pink hedgehog though.

" If only there was something we could use to get out the desert faster." Rouge suggested.

" A CHAOS EMERALD!" Shadow suddenly yelled struck by inspiration, " I could Chaos Control us!"

" Yeah, but I don't have one. Neither do you." Rouge replied. Shadow's face fell for a second, but it lit up again.

" Amy was looking after the one she got yesterday, maybe she brought it!" Shadow exclaimed. Rouge shrugged,

" Check her bag," she demanded.

Shadow carefully placed Amy on the floor, removing the small rucksack from her back. He opened it, and frantically searched through the vast amount of things Amy had brought. '_Why does she need so much stuff?'_ Shadow thought. He came across a pair of her knickers, and stuffed it back in the bag blushing. Finally he found the yellow Chaos Emerald, it caught the light of the sun and sparkled.

Shadow hurriedly packed the rest of Amy's stuff back into her bag, and picked her up again. Her condition was worse now. Amy's face was bright red, and her head was really burning. Shadow thought she had stopped breathing but she was, just not very well. Shadow looked at her sadly; he was going to get her to a hospital even though he knew she hated them. He grabbed Rouge and Chaos Controlled away.

Chapter five is in progress, please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Here is chapter five, wow this is the second chapter I have wrote in a day! I am doing most of my writing now as I will struggle to update when I am back at school, especially with my year 9 exams! I am actually failing English writing! Anyway, enjoy!

Shadow sat at Amy's bedside in the hospital, looking at her sleep. He smiled, she looked so peaceful. Shadow had carried her in a few hours earlier, and the doctors tended to her immediately. They said she was to make a full recovery and that she would be free to go the next day, she just needed rest and plenty of water.

Shadow walked back into the waiting room where Rouge was sitting. He had left her alone for the last few hours, he thought he'd better keep her company.

" How is Amy?" Rouge asked out of politeness not concern, when Shadow sat besides her.

" She will recover," Shadow stated simply. They sat in awkward silence, staring at the polished floor.

" We better tell Cream, she would want to know what state her best friend is in. They are still friends…aren't they?" Shadow finally said uncertainly. He did not really know what Amy's relationship was like with all her friends these days.

" Yeah, Cream is still Amy's friend. I think she is the only one left who stuck by her." Rouge replied. Shadow then realised that Rouge knew what had happened between Amy and Sonic. Everyone seemed to know apart from him. He wanted to know desperately, and Amy was not telling.

" What actually happened between Amy and Sonic?" Shadow inquired. Rouge looked shocked.

" You don't know, she didn't even tell you?" She exclaimed. Shadow shook his head.

" I can't tell you then, all I will say is that it was bad. Amy probably thinks you will turn against her like everyone else has if you know."

Shadow thought. What could Amy have possibly done to Sonic, or vice versa that is so bad? Whatever it is, he would never turn against her. He just wanted to know. Rouge obviously was not going to tell she could be stubborn like that. Shadow needed someone else whom he could easily get it out of, someone he could possibly trick to find out.

Then it came to him, Cream. Cream must know, and she is naive enough to tell him. Shadow smiled quickly and got up.

" I'm going to get Cream, stay here and wait for us," he said to Rouge and walked down the hospital corridor until he reached the door, where he ran to Creams house.

When he reached where the eight year old rabbit lives he rang the doorbell, hoping Creams mum, Vanilla, was not in aswell. Whenever Vanilla was in he found it hard to get away; she keeps offering him things such as tea and biscuits.

The front door opened and Shadow found himself staring at Vanilla.

" Oh, Shadow dear! Do come in, we were about to have tea." She exclaimed happily. Shadow sighed, he knew that was coming.

" I need to speak with Cream, it's an emergency," Shadow said sounding serious as he walked through the door. Cream must have heard.

" An emergency Mr. Shadow, oh no what happened!" She asked in a worried voice. Shadow frowned. He hated it when she called him ' Mr. Shadow', but he knew telling her to stop would do no good.

" Amy is in hospital Cream." Shadow said collapsing onto the leather sofa. He loved that sofa.

" Oh no Mr. Shadow!" Cream cried clasping a hand to a mouth, " Did she try to kill herself again?"

Shadow's eyes widened in horror.

" What?" he exclaimed. Vanilla looked at her daughter and shook her head, and Cream seemed to pick up on it.

" Oh, nothing Mr. Shadow, can I go see Amy now?"

Shadow nodded to Cream, and he thought while the rabbit fetched her coat. Amy had tried to commit suicide. Why? Shadow needed to know what would have led Amy to want to do such a thing like that, and he was relying on Cream to leak it out to him. When Cream was ready to go, they both started to jog slowly towards the hospital.

On the way Shadow spotted an ice cream van. He knew Cream could not resist ice cream. He stopped jogging and went up to the van.

" What flavour Cream?" He asked softly to the rabbit. Cream's face that was previously worried about Amy lit up, as all thoughts turned to ice cream.

" Vanilla please Mr. Shadow!" She cried excitedly. Shadow grinned as he handed her the ice cream. Luckily for him, she was so easily distracted. They both sat down on a nearby bench, and Cream started to lick her ice cream happily.

" Cream, why did Amy try to kill herself?" Shadow asked gently.

" I'm not allowed to say!" Cream replied in an annoying sing song voice.

" Amy does not need to know that I know," Shadow continued gently, " and I'll buy you another ice cream."

That last bribe seemed to do it for Cream, as more thoughts of ice cream entered her head.

" Okay Mr. Shadow!" Cream smiled. Shadow smiled back, he was finally going to know the truth…

Shadow and Cream finally made it to the hospital.

" What took you so long, Amy has woken up!" Rouge cried as they entered the waiting room.

" Really!" Shadow cried, and dragged Cream into Amy's room with him.

As they entered Amy gave them a weak smile. She looked much better. She was still quite warm and her cheeks quite red, but she was starting to look more like her old self. Shadow let go of Cream and gave Amy a small kiss on the cheek, making Shadow blush and Amy giggled. Cream smiled she thought it was cute.

" Hey Shad, hey Cream!" Amy cried happily. Shadow smiled, he loved to see Amy more cheerful like this, he did not even tell her to stop calling him Shad. He was starting to like the nickname.

" How are you feeling Amy?" Cream asked.

" Oh much better now I'm out that desert!" Amy exclaimed happily, but then her face turned serious. " I'm sorry Shadow for messing up getting the Emeralds." She said sadly.

Shadow's expression softened.

" Amy, no need to apologise," he said softly, " you are more important to me than getting these Emeralds. I can still get it another day, it would be harder to get you back if you died."

Amy held back a tear of happiness, and she smiled widely.

" Really?" She asked happily. Shadow grinned and softly kissed Amy on the lips, which gave her the reply. Cream clapped at the kiss, which startled Shadow.

" Um Cream, can I speak to Amy alone for a bit?" Shadow asked Cream, which puzzled Amy.

" Of course Mr. Shadow, I'll go speak to Miss. Rouge!" Cream replied and skipped out the door happily.

When Shadow was sure he and Amy was alone, he sat down on the chair next to her and spoke softly.

" Ames, I know that you tried to commit suicide, and more importantly I know why." He spoke gently.

Amy's eyes widened, and she stared down at her bed, a few glistening tears dripping from her emerald eyes.

" Oh God," she whispered.

Hopefully chapter six will be done before school, please review!


	6. Chapter 6

Yay chapter six!

Disclaimer: I do not own any Sonic people.

" Please don't think I am a overreacting, obsessive, cow like everyone else," Amy whispered sadly to Shadow.

" I don't," Shadow replied gently, " I just wanted to know what was going on, but I want to hear it from your mouth now."

Amy nodded slowly, her shimmering jade eyes wet with tears as her mind set back to a week ago…

**Amy's POV for a week ago**

I run to Sonic's house happily, I always enjoy seeing him. I really love him, I do love someone else too, but Sonic is still my first true love.

I press the doorbell and wait for him to come to the door. When it finally opened I was greeted with a frown.

" God Amy, are you stalking me or something? I saw you earlier!" Sonic moaned. Why does he always treat me like this? I ignore the comment and give him a tight hug. He pushes me away looking rather angry.

" Amy don't do that, just leave me alone!" Sonic yells in an annoyed tone of voice.

I am really offended, I thought we were friends. Friends hug each other and are happy when they visit you. I stare at him from the doorway, looking into his beautiful emerald eyes. He looks away and starts to close the door, but I hold it open.

" Sonic, can I come in for a bit? We could do something fun like watch a movie or something!" I ask hopefully.

Sonic looks at me as though I spat on his prized trainers.

" Amy, do you know what would be fun? You leaving me alone for once! You are an annoying, immature girl who needs to stop following me around and do her own thing for once." He yells furiously.

I am shocked. How could he say those things to me, I thought he liked me. I can't reply to anything he said, I open my mouth but no words come out. I just stand there staring with my mouth wide open, blinking back tears that I refuse to let fall.

" Next time Eggman captures you Amy, I won't bother saving you. Maybe then I will get some peace and quiet!" Sonic continues.

I am so hurt, all I was trying to do was be friendly and he just yells at me. I am so angry with him for saying all of that, so angry. I march into his house pushing him aside, ignoring all of Sonic's what the hell are you doing. I summon my Piko Piko hammer and swing it around his hallway angrily, showing no mercy. Once I'd stopped I look around in horror at what I'd done. Posh vases and pictures lay smashed on the floor; the staircase is now bent in, and there is broken glass littering the carpet.

I turn around and see Sonic, his expression is murderess and his face is scarlet.

" GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!" He screams at me, grabbing hold of my wrist and thrusting me out. His grip is so tight it hurts. " NOW GO AWAY AND NEVER BOTHER ME AGAIN! GO BEFORE I CALL THE POLICE, YOU NEED TO BE LOCKED UP! IN FACT GO HOME AND DIE, JUST DIE!" Sonic yells and slams his front door shut.

I am left standing outside in the warm spring afternoon, still clutching my hammer. The cool breeze blows blossom from the trees into my hair, but I don't brush them off. I don't brush away the fresh tears that are forming in my eyes. I just stand there, recalling what just happened. Passers by stare at me and mutter to themselves. They all think I'm crazy, but I'm not. I was just trying to be friendly, but the words that came out of his mouth were horrible. Who could blame me for snapping; who could blame me for throwing me out. He never wants to see me again, and he has a good reason.

I run home, silvery tears running from my eyes and dripping from my cheeks onto the hard pavement. The last thing Sonic said to me was to die, he wanted me dead. I consider his words, I loved him and my life was not worth living if he hated me so much. I had blew my chance of loving him, I had blew my chance at being friends. I might aswell blow life.

As soon as I reach home, I storm into the kitchen. I search frantically through the cabinet doors trying to find my sharpest knife. As I spot it I hold it in my hand, my breathing quickening. It can't be so bad can it, a sharp pain then its over. I will be at peace, and finally Sonic will be happy with me.

I place the point so it pressed lightly on my heart, not hard enough to make a mark. I close my eyes and my heart beats faster as I prepare myself for what I need to do.

" Amy!"

I open my eyes and drop the knife. Sonic is standing there with a disgusted look on his face.

" Amy, stop being an overreacting, obsessing cow! I came here to apologise for being too harsh, and I find you about to stab yourself! I just give up with you; maybe it is best if I don't see you again. Then you can obsess over someone else, and then if you decide to kill yourself then I won't get the blame." Sonic says walking back out the door.

I am shocked. Weather that is because I was about to commit suicide, about the damage I had done to Sonic's house, what he had said to me, or all three I am shocked. I look down at the floor and see the knife lying there, the knife I was about to end my life with. It is all too much, and I break down crying collapsing to the floor. I don't want to ever get up from it again; I don't feel like I can stop crying. I just want this day to end.

**End of Amy's POV**

Amy sat in her hospital bed tears flowing from her usually cheerful eyes, as she explained to Shadow what happened. He sat silently taking in every word she said while she spoke, but now he had her in a tight embrace. Shadow hated to see her cry, but now he was stunned. Cream had not said most of that, she just said that Sonic went crazy at her for wrecking his home. But hearing what Amy had to say, how mean Sonic was to her, Shadow hated that faker even more now.

Once Amy had finished crying, Shadow released her.

" Amy, that blue hedgehog was out of order, you did not deserve anything he said to you." Shadow said gently.

Amy gave him a weak smile, wiping a few loose tears from her cheeks.

" Thank you," she whispered struggling to get her words out, afraid that if she spoke she would start to cry again.

Shadow thought for a minute. Could he say the words? He knew he meant them but he was not sure he could say them, he had not said them to anyone since Maria.

" Amy Rose, I love you," Shadow said softy holding Amy's hands, staring straight into her emerald eyes and blushing bright red.

Amy's eyes widened and a tear of happiness dropped from her jade eyes, and her natural wide smile spread across her face that melted Shadow's heart.

" Shadow, I love you too!" Amy exclaimed happily, and their lips met in a soft kiss, that lasted for what felt like a year to them.

When they finally broke away, they both had scarlet blush across their cheeks.

" Tomorrow we are getting those emeralds," Shadow said smiling.

Okay, that chapter is done. I rushed it at the end because my dad kept telling me to get off the computer and go to bed, but I really wanted to finish this. So if there are spelling mistakes, or its just really bad do not blame me. Anyway, please review!


	7. Chapter 7

This is probobly the last chapter I will do for a little bit now school is starting tomorrow. Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Sonicy.

The next morning Amy left the hospital and returned home. She was looking forward to meeting up with Shadow later on in the morning and deciding what Emerald to get next. Shadow had already got the one in the desert; he went back with Rouge in the evening to retrieve it. It was much cooler then, and Amy wished that she thought of going in the evening instead of the day, that would have prevented a lot of problems.

As soon as she got back to her apartment she decided to take a long shower, she hated hospitals and did not feel comfortable washing there. Amy stepped into the shower and turned it on. The warm water on her fur made her feel so relaxed, she could stay there all day.

Suddenly Amy heard the faint sound of the doorbell through the noise of the running water. She hurriedly turned the shower off and slipped on her pink, silk, dressing gown. Amy ran to the door, her quills and body still dripping water. When she opened it and saw Shadow standing there she blushed at the state of dress she was in, and he seemed to go red also when he met her eyes.

" Can I come in…or is it a bad time?" Shadow asked Amy, looking away from her.

" Oh come in and sit down, I'll just be five minutes," Amy replied embarrassed, and as soon as Shadow was sat in the lounge she ran to her bedroom and hastily got dressed, choosing a baby pink peasant blouse, and denim skirt. She also tied her quills back with a red ribbon, it tended to go frizzy after a shower and she had no time to straighten them.

When she was fully decent, Amy went into the lounge and sat down next to Shadow. He gave her a small smile as she joined him, which she returned before she asked him why he was here.

" We have a problem," Shadow said seriously, " Rouge does not know where one of the Emeralds are. We have the two we got, the eighth that you know, and we know where four more Emeralds are located. But we have no clue about the last one, any ideas?"

Amy looked down at her skirt and whispered, " Sonic has the last one."

Shadow looked at Amy sadly, that Sonic problem was really getting her down. He hated to think it, but he wanted them to be friends again even though he can't stand that blue hedgehog. Anything to make Amy happy.

" Amy, I will get the Emerald off Sonic. You can stay here and relax." Shadow offered. Amy's face brightened as she contemplated the idea.

" Yeah, that will be fine! Thanks Shad!" She cried. Shadow smiled, he loved it when she was cheerful.

" I better go to Sonic's house then," Shadow said " stay here, I'll see you later."

He gave Amy a small kiss on the cheek and let himself out. Amy ran to the window, and watched Shadow as he jets off down the road, his air shoes at full blast.

As Shadow set off towards Sonic's house, he thought about Amy and Sonic. He planned on talking to Sonic about making up with Amy when he sees him. Shadow was also glad that Amy was staying at home, she had a knack of getting into trouble. Maybe now he would have an uneventful day. Shadow finally reached Sonic's big house. He noticed Sonic had got a new door since the last time he was there. _' Must be something to do with Amy' _he thought as he rang the bell.

Amy stretched out on the sofa with a bar of her favourite chocolate, and flicked through the channels on the T.V.

" There is never anything on!" She complained out loud. Amy got off the sofa and walked over to the radio. She turned it on but turned it off immediately when she heard what song was playing. _' I am so bored!' _She thought, _' I will go for a walk, it should be more exciting than staying here.' _Amy grabbed her pink coat, and set out.

Shadow rung Sonic's doorbell for the third time, and banged on the door hard with his fists. After no one answering the door, he gave up and came to the conclusion that Sonic was not home. _' I could steal the Emerald,' _Shadow thought but decided against it. He wanted to speak to Sonic anyway. Shadow backed down from the door, and sped off back towards Amy's apartment. He was looking forward to seeing her again, safe at home and out of trouble.

Amy had walked to Emerald Coast. She loved the place, it was so peaceful walking along the white sand and seeing the waves sparkle in the sun. As she walked she started to collect shells along the beach; she was enjoying the peace and quiet. Suddenly the sound of screaming erupted from behind her, and many people ran past her yelling. Amy turned around. Her eyes widened, as she could not believe what she saw.

Shadow rang Amy's doorbell and waited patiently for her to answer with one of her wide smiles. There was no reply. Shadow rang the doorbell again, and again there was no reply. _' She must have gone out, I told her to stay in!' _Shadow thought annoyed. _' Oh well, I will go home and try again later.' _He thought, there was no use going to find her. She could be anywhere! Shadow turned away from the apartment and set off back home. He was quite hungry.

" Eggman, what are you doing here!" Amy yelled furiously, bringing out her Piko Piko hammer. Eggman was at Emerald Coast in a new machine that looked terrifyingly strong. When he saw Amy with her giant hammer held high above her head he laughed.

" Amy, just the hedgehog I was looking for! I heard you know the location of the legendary eighth Emerald, I could do with that!" Eggman cried.

" Well you won't ever get the information from me!" Amy yelled, " I would rather die!"

Eggman laughed again.

" Well that can be arranged, if you don't tell me where the Emerald is in twenty four hours." He said.

Amy looked at the new machine, if only she could find a weak spot. Then she saw it, the head. Amy charged at the machine with her hammer at full speed, ready to smash it but it was without hope. Suddenly a huge claw appeared from the inside of the machine, and held Amy tight in its clutches. She tried to wriggle free screaming, but it held her securely.

" You have twenty-four hours, then I'll kill you!" Eggman laughed, looking at the screaming hedgehog.

" SHADOW, SHADOW!" Amy yelled madly, as Eggman started to walk off with her. No one arrived at the scene to save her.

Shadow sat at his kitchen table eating a cheese sandwich thinking about Amy. _' I wonder what she is doing?' _he thought.

Another chapter finished! Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

A short chapter, but thats all I have had time to do really. I don't like not writing a story for too long, or I will forget all about what I wanted to put. So I did something. Hope you enjoy anyway!

Amy paced the cell Eggman had locked her in worried. The cell itself was more like a tiny box, very bare, containing nothing more than a wooden bench and a security camera in a corner. The walls were painted black apart from a small picture of Eggman, who seemed to stare straight at the pink hedgehog, which unnerved her. There was a small window but it was more like a hole cut into the wall with strong steel bars attached to it, only letting small amounts of sunlight filter through and it was quite dark. There were no lights, no homely features, and it made Amy feel quite claustrophobic.

The walls were extremely impenetrable, and so were the bars on the windows. Amy had already tried bashing them with her Piko Piko hammer but with no use, she could not even create a dent. She had eventually given up, her arms hurting from the strength needed to keep continuously smashing a heavy hammer in a wall with no success. Amy did manage to destroy the security camera, and she also checked for more, which she did find and destroyed. She did not want Eggman watching her every move; it was bad enough for her being locked in there.

Amy sat down on the bench, which was cold and hard, and sighed. It looked like she was stuck here, unless Shadow came to rescue her. _' Which is unlikely as he does not have a clue where I am, or if I'm even in trouble.'_ She thought sadly.

The spring day turned to night, and Amy could see some of the stars through the window, and a thin trickle of moonlight seeped through the bars that reflected on Amy's face. She had been there for hours, and she had given up all hopes of escape. She either had to tell Eggman where the Emerald is or die, and she knew what she would rather do. Amy did not seem to be too disturbed by the fact; she just seemed to accept it. No tears, no last words. But she was scared. Scared that Shadow will never know what happened to her, never know the truth about her death.

Amy lay down on the bench, taking off her coat and placing it over her freezing body, trying to keep as warm as possible. The cold bench mixed with the chilly night air made her body feel numb. Amy tried to sleep, but it was near impossible. Many things were preventing her from sleeping, worry, shock, and hunger.

Amy was starving; she had not eaten anything since breakfast. Eggman had not provided her with any food, and there was a pain in her stomach because of it. Her throat was also dry, and she was dehydrated. Eggman had given Amy some water, but not enough. Her body felt weak, and she had not even been left for twenty-four hours yet, she knew she could not keep up this suffering for two days. Amy would rather kill herself than be in the constant pain she was in now.

Amy continued to lie on her bench in the deadly silence of night, sleep refusing to take her. She did not think it would end like this, she did not think she would ever give up so easily, she thought she could escape. Her only chance was Shadow somehow finding her, and when Amy finally slipped into troubled sleep, her dreams were all about him. Him finding and saving her. Shadow was The Ultimate Lifeform after all, and that was the only comforting thought she had left to cling onto.

Yes, that was quite short. Don't think it is that good either! But please review any way!


	9. Chapter 9

Yay, I have finally had time to update! Who knew one school could give so much work? Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!

Shadow banged on Amy's door fiercely, his fists starting to hurt.

" AMY ARE YOU IN THERE, ITS SHADOW!" He yelled. No reply. Shadow felt really worried, he had not seen Amy for ages. Yesterday after he had had lunch, he returned to Amy's apartment but she was still not in. Now it was the next day, and Amy seemed to still be away from her home.

Shadow jogged through Station Square trying to think where Amy could be. He scanned the crowded streets as he jogged, searching unsuccessfully for a glimpse of the pink hedgehog. Suddenly a headline of a newspaper dumped on the floor caught Shadow's eye. He immediately picked it up and quickly scanned through the article. The headline stated " Eggman Invades Emerald Coast." Shadow's eyes widened as he spotted a crucial sentence. " A pink hedgehog that resembled Amy Rose was seen leaving in Eggman's grasp…"

Shadow did not need to read anymore. He dropped the newspaper and froze for a second. It had to be Amy, he had heard of no other pink hedgehog, and it seemed like the type of thing that would happen to her. Shadow did not know where Amy was, or why Eggman wanted her. However, he knew one thing for certain; he had to rescue her. He was not leaving Amy with Eggman for any longer, but how to find her? Shadow did not know the location of the Doctor's latest base, but he knew someone who did. Sonic. Shadow did not like the idea, but it came apparent that he had no other choice then ask the blue hedgehog for help. Whether Sonic would help or not was a different matter, Amy did not seem to be Sonic's favourite hedgehog at the moment, but Shadow knew he had to try at least. Shadow wasted no more time thinking, and shot off towards the blue hedgehog's house.

Amy sat on the only furniture in her cell and shivered. It was a extremely bright day, the sun blared from outside and its immensely powerful rays even managed to light the black box Amy was locked in, bathing the room in pure white light. But still Amy felt immune to the heat; her body was freezing in the thin layers of clothing that she was wearing. The pain in her stomach that had made itself apparent the night before was even worse, the result of going twenty-four hours without any food and barely any water.

Amy reached into her pocket for her compact; she always carried it around with her. She stared at her reflection and cringed, she looked awful. Her face was dreadfully pale, and her eyes, which were usually full of life and energy, looked empty. Her quills were everywhere because of lack of brushing, and Amy immediately smoothed them down and redid her ponytail.

As Amy returned her mirror to her pocket, her thoughts changed to Shadow, wondering what he was up to, wondering if he was trying to save her. Amy doubted it, he was probably too busy with Rouge trying to find more Chaos Emeralds. That probably mattered more to Shadow than his mere girlfriend, Maria was more important to him. She tried not to think that way, she knew that Shadow loved her, and she loved him back, but in her current situation it was hard to be optimistic.

Shadow rang Sonic's doorbell breathing slowly. He tried to remain as calm as possible, he did not want to seem stressed to the blue hedgehog who never seemed to have a care in the world. Thankfully, unlike the day before Sonic answered the door, a surprised expression on his face as he saw who his visitor was.

" Shadow, long time no see! What's bugging ya?" He asked in his laid back tone of voice, that always seemed to annoy the ebony hedgehog.

" Its Amy," Shadow stated plainly, making his voice sound emotionless as he strode into Sonic's lounge. He did not want to come across too worried to Sonic.

Sonic's expression changed dramatically as he followed Shadow into the lounge, and sat besides the dark hedgehog on the sofa.

" What has happened to Amy now?" Sonic asked, worry in his voice. Shadow was surprised, he expected Sonic to feel more coldly towards the pink hedgehog but he actually seemed to be worried.

" I thought you would not care what happened to her, I thought you wanted her to die." Shadow smirked.

Sonic sighed.

" You heard what happened then," he said sadly, " I did not mean a word I said to Amy, really. I was having the worst day, I lost my job and I had countless bills to pay. I just took all my anger out on Amy, I should not have done, and then I slagged her off to everyone in my phone book. I tried calling her loads, but she has caller ID and would not pick up. Amy is one of my best friends, I need to apologise and make it up to her." Sonic finished.

Shadow nodded at Sonic, his excuse was not good enough for him, but he knew it would be for Amy. At least now he could be sure he would have Sonic's help.

" Eggman has kidnapped Amy, and we need to rescue her immediately," Shadow cried with a slight trace of concern in his tone of voice, that Sonic noticed.

" Oooh Shadow why are you so concerned about Amy!" He teased, and Shadow glared at him.

" I'm not concerned…she is an ally that's all." Shadow replied angrily, but Sonic seemed unconvinced.

" Yeah, whatever Shadow!" He smiled. Shadow chose to ignore the rest of his comments as they both ran out the door and Shadow followed Sonic to Eggman's base.

Amy looked up as the door of her cell opened slowly. She had forgotten that there was a door, it was the same colour as the walls, and it blended in perfectly. The weak hedgehog held her breath as a shady figure emerged from the doorway, praying it to be Shadow. Her heart sank when she recognised it to be Eggman.

" Hoho Amy, how is this cell suiting you?" He asked laughing. Amy made no reply, but forced herself to stand up immediately, hands on hips. She wanted to appear as though she was still strong to Eggman; she did want to seem as though he was getting to her.

" You have been locked here for half of the time I am willing to keep you for, and I am going to give you the opportunity to leave early. All you need to do is tell me where the Emerald is." Eggman asked fiercely.

" I would never tell you, Egghead!" Amy yelled bringing out her hammer, but it used up the last of her remaining energy, and she had to put it away retreating to the bench.

Eggman laughed at the sight, and left the room again, closing the door behind him. Amy felt drained of all of her energy; she could hardly lift her leg. She just lay on the bench, her eyes closing. She could feel herself slipping away, she knew she did not have much time left. Amy prayed that Shadow would come and find her, but she was more doubtful than ever.

Shadow raced through a thick forest, which apparently led to Eggman's base with Sonic running slightly ahead of him. The trees were very tall and their leaves blocked out most of the sun, leaving the two hedgehogs running in semi-darkness. Suddenly as they ran through a barrier of trees, they came to a wide clearing with a massive building in the centre. There were no trees in this part of the forest and the sun blared down, which blinded Shadow as he had been in the dark for so long.

" This is it Shad!" Cried Sonic pointing at the building. Shadow stared at it in dismay. The building was massive; it was likely to house hundreds of rooms. The outside of it was painted red, and each wall had a picture of Eggman's face on it. There were many windows, but every one of them had bars across them.

" Where is the entrance, and don't call me Shad!" Shadow demanded.

Sonic smiled and gestured for Shadow to follow him around to the other side of the building, where they found an enormous red double door with half of Eggman's face on each side. _' Only the Doctor could think of something so distasteful!' _Shadow thought with a slight smirk.

As soon as the hedgehogs approached the door, it automatically opened allowing them both admittance. They entered the base cautiously, both aware that the door opening like that was a sure sign of there being a trap inside. As soon as Shadow and Sonic were fully inside, the doors closed behind them locking them in. Shadow rolled his eyes; he was not surprised about the door closing. He had more important things to worry about, Amy.

There was only one path forward from where the hedgehogs were standing, and they made their way down the corridor slowly, turning their heads taking in the surroundings. It was quite light inside as there were many windows, the bars on them creating shadows on the floor. The walls were all painted red, and the carpet on the floor was red too. Every now and again, a photo of Eggman could be found hanging on the walls. There were also many security cameras, and it made Shadow certain that they were being watched.

Eventually the corridor came to a fork, both ways having many doors.

" Me left you right Shad?" Sonic offered. Shadow was about to agree and remind Sonic not to call him ' Shad', when suddenly a dozen red robots came running from both directions. Some having some form of spear, and the rest owning laser guns. Shadow and Sonic smiled, they knew they could easily destroy those robots. As soon as they were close enough they sprang into action, eliminating every robot using their homing attacks.

" Is that all you have Doctor!" Shadow yelled triumphantly at a camera.

Amy still lay on her bench in pain, she had not had water for hours, and she still had not eaten anything. She tried to ignore the pain, trying everything to cure it, but as the day went on it only got more intense. It spread to her whole body, making all her muscles ache. The pain was so unbearable it brought tears to her eyes, spilling down her cheeks. Amy needed to eat, she needed to drink, she needed Shadow.

Living in the cell has made Amy miss Shadow so much, almost as much as she has missed food. She just wanted him to hold her and tell her she was going to be fine, but she doubted she would ever see the black hedgehog again.

" Its all my fault," Amy sobbed quietly, brushing away more tears that leaked from her distressed eyes, " I should have stayed home."

Suddenly Amy heard noises from outside, clashes and bangs. She forced herself to get up, and she dragged her body to where the door was. Amy pressed her ear against it, and listened as hard as she could. Then she heard a voice. A voice that filled her heavy heart with hope, and made her want to jump for joy, although she was physically unable to.

" Is that all you have Doctor!"

Amy heard the words, and she knew it was Shadow. It was his tone of voice, and it had his feel to it. Shadow had come to save her; he did not abandon her.

" Shadow, shadow!" the weak, pink, female cried, but her voice sounded frail and quiet, and she knew there was no way Shadow would hear that. "SHADOW! SHADOW!" She tried again, only much louder. Amy needed to hear a reply.

" We need to find Amy now, I need to see her, I need to make sure she is fine," Shadow told Sonic frantically as they stood amongst the destroyed robots. Sonic smiled.

" You sound so desperate to see her, why is that Shadow? Oooh, do you like her?" He teased him playfully.

Shadow stared straight at Sonic, burning the blue hedgehogs emerald eyes with his scarlet.

" I do NOT like Amy," he glared.

" Then why are you blushing?" Sonic replied laughing. Shadow was about to hit him, when he faintly heard a familiar voice shout his name.

" SHADOW! SHADOW!" he heard.

" AMY!" Shadow yelled and shot to where the voice was coming from with Sonic following suite. The voice came from a small door in the wall; it was painted black instead of red, and really stood out.

" Amy, are you in here?" Shadow asked, banging on the door with his fists trying to break it unsuccessfully.

" Shadow, yes its me! Please save me!" A weak voice replied, which Shadow recognised to definitely be Amy. Her words were mixed with the sound of crying, and she sounded like she was really in trouble.

Shadow continued to try to bash the door with Sonic's help, but it was exceptionally strong. In the end he gave up, his fists really hurting. Shadow had another idea, one he knew had to work. He did not like to use it, but he was left with no choice. Shadow had to rescue the girl he loved at all costs.

" Ames, keep away from the door!" Shadow warned, as he pulled Tails' Emerald from his glove. Sonic's eyes widened as he saw it but said nothing. It was not the time to argue. Shadow shut his eyes tight, as he harnessed the Emeralds destructive power to do his bidding.

" CHAOS BLAST!" He yelled holding the Emerald high in the air. Suddenly a massive explosion was heard, as the cell door shattered into billions of pieces, bits flying everywhere. Smoke filled the corridor, and the smell of burning filled the air. Shadow's eyes glowed as the abilty was used, but returned to normal as the explosion finished.

When the smoke cleared, Shadow stared into the hole left in the wall. A small, pink hedgehog lay curled on the floor, her hands over her ears. Her face was ever so pale, and her jade green eyes seemed empty. Shadow barely recognised it to be Amy. The girl looked up as Shadow strolled into the room, and a weak smile appeared on her face.

" Shadow!" She cried with tears in her eyes, as she managed to get up and throw her arms around him.

Sonic shook his head from the doorway when Amy hugged Shadow, waiting for him to throw her off, but the opposite happened. Shadow embraced the pink hedgehog, and their lips met in a passionate kiss. Sonic laughed.

" I knew you liked her Shadow!" He cried. The two hedgehogs broke apart and blushed heavily. Then Amy stared at the hedgehog in the doorway. She could not believe he was here, that he was trying to rescue her. She could not believe that he dared to show his face to her after everything he had said.

" Sonic," Amy said coldly, staring the blue hedgehog in the eyes, " Get the hell out of my face."

That was the longest chapter I have ever written. I just kept on writing, I could not stop! I hope you liked it, please review!


	10. Chapter 10

Yay, chapter 10!

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone!

Sonic took a brave step forward and put a hand on Amy's shoulder, which she immediately brushed off.

" Amy, I am so sorry-" Sonic started but Amy interrupted him.

" Sorry. You can not just say sorry to me. You told me to die, you were so offensive, and you come up to me and say sorry, " Amy cried at the azure hedgehog. She tried to scream, but her body was still incredibly weak and she had to hold on to Shadow for support.

" Amy I can not apologise enough for what I said, I did not mean any of it. I was having such a bad day. You are one of my best friends, and I do usually enjoy seeing you. I will do anything to make it up to you, anything. Please forgive me Ames, please," Sonic pleaded, looking into the frail, pink, hedgehog's deep jade eyes that comtemplated accepting Sonic's apology.

Finally Amy gave Sonic her answer by giving him a friendly hug, and for once, Sonic hugged back. Shadow felt a pang of jelousy as he witnessed the two friends hugging, but he tried to remove it. _' They are just friends that is all, just two friends hugging.'_ Shadow reassured himself, but the same thought kept entering his mind. Will Amy go back to loving Sonic now, not him? Shadow shook the concept from his mind, and set his thoughts back to getting away from the dark cell. He needed to stop worrying.

" Shall we Chaos Control out now?" Shadow asked, while Sonic and Amy let go of each other and nodded vigorously. Shadow picked Amy up, cradled her in his arms, and grabbed onto Sonic's wrist as they finally escaped the prison.

Shadow had Chaos controlled them to outside Amy's apartment, where he placed Amy carefully on her feet, and quickly let go of Sonic's wrist. He hated to touch the faker, but Amy on the other hand did not seem to mind one bit. Before Sonic headed back to his own house, Amy gave him another hug, and again feelings of jealously erupted in Shadow's mind which he immediately eliminated. He had to stop feeling like that. They were just friends, but Shadow could not help feeling more relaxed when Sonic left.

Amy opened the door to her apartment, and she and Shadow walked in. Amy immediately headed for her bedroom, and collapsed onto her bed in exhaustion.

" Shad, I feel so dead, " she moaned, " I need some food!"

" I'll make you something, what do you want?" Shadow replied. Amy smiled graciously.

" Oh thanks, I'll have a sandwich, and crisps, and a hot chocolate. Oh, and a bar or two of chocolate while your at it. And maybe a yoghurt…" She cried enthusiastically. Shadow laughed while he made his way to the kitchen at how much food the petite hedgehog requested, but he could understand why. Been locked in that dark cell for ages with no food or drink must have been a horrifying ordeal for her, and Shadow did not mind making her lunch after that.

When Shadow returned to Amy's bedroom carrying a tray of food, he found the pink hedgehog lying still on her bed, eyes shut tight. Shadow immediately put the tray on the floor and rushed to Amy's side worried, but he then realised she was just sleeping and smiled. Her chest rose and fell to the rhythm of her soft breathing, and she looked so sweet and innocent asleep. Shadow felt a sudden urge to lie close next to her with his arms around the sleeping hedgehog's body, but he resisted it. He was Shadow the Hedgehog, the ultimate life form. He had no time for things like that, no matter how much he loved her. He just demonstrated his love for Amy in different ways then most would.

Shadow walked into Amy's hallway, and found a notepad by the telephone. He tore off a page and scribbled a note saying where he was going, and placed it next to Amy on the bed. He then sprinted out the apartment. Shadow was going to see Rouge.

When Shadow reached Rouge's huge mansion, he knocked on the door with the large, brass, knocker, and waited for the batgirl to answer. About twenty seconds later, the heavy door opened and Shadow was greeted with a cheeky smile from the bat.

" Hey Shad, where's your pathetic girlfriend? Or have you decided to leave her and date someone more your style?" Rouge teased posing in the doorway, sticking out her rather large chest. Shadow pushed her out the way with a disgusted look on his face, as he entered the mansion and strode into the lounge.

" Don't call me Shad, and I'm here on buisness. I need to know where the next Emerald is." The ebony hedgehog stated. Rouge sighed and looked disappointed.

" It's always the Emeralds. Why can't he visit me for the reason being he actually wants to see me? " She muttered to herself, following Shadow into the lounge. She forgot to close the front door.

Shadow made himself comfortable on the glamorous, white leather sofa, and waited for Rouge to sit down. As soon as she was also seated, he began.

" Where is the next Emerald?" Shadow demanded. Rouge smiled and winked at the raven hedgehog.

" Relax Shad, I have a surprise for ya!"

Amy yawned, and stretched her arms sleepily. She did not remember falling asleep, but she felt so tired that it was not hard to do. Amy opened her eyes wide, and saw a piece of her notepaper on the bed next to her. Puzzled, she picked it up and started to read.

_Dear Amy,_

_I hope when you find this you are not so tired and feeling better. I have gone to see Rouge about finding the Emeralds; you can meet me there later if you are up to it. I do not want you straining yourself, so maybe it would be best for you to just stay in bed and rest. I have made you your lunch, enjoy!_

_Love Shadow XXX_

Amy smiled as she read the note to herself. For some reason her heart fluttered as she read the words " Love Shadow", and when she saw the two kisses. It was unlike him to write things like that, and she would treasure the message. Amy placed the note in her bedside table, and got off her bed. When she stepped foot on the carpet, she noticed the meal Shadow had prepared for her.

" I'll eat this, and go find Shadow!" Amy said to herself.

Shadow listened intently to what Rouge was saying, then gave a quick smile when she finished.

" So you have already retrieved all the other Emeralds I need apart from the one Sonic has and the eighth, great!" He cried.

" Yes, I am great!" Rouge announced, batting her eyelashes at the hedgehog seductively. Shadow rolled his eyes; he had had enough of Rouge's flirting.

" Just get the Emeralds," He sighed.

Amy reached Rouge's mansion, and found the door wide open. She shrugged and walked straight in, Rouge should not mind.

Rouge returned into the living room with the Chaos Emeralds, and handed them to the eager hedgehog, which smiled widely when he held them. Rouge sat back down next to the ebony hedgehog.

" Now you have time to have some fun with me Shadow," The bat whispered, and to Shadow's horror and surprise slipped her arms around him in an embrace. Before he had time to shove her off and yell at the bat, a loud gasp came from the living room doorway.

" Shadow…no. Not Rouge, you can't be doing this to me." The shocked pink hedgehog cried, backing away. Shadow leapt off the sofa, and slowly walked towards Amy.

" Ames, it is not what you think. Sh-" He started but the devastated pink hedgehog cut him off.

" Get away from me you, you, BASTARD!" She screamed, tears streaming from her heartbroken eyes, and she ran out the door, leaving Shadow standing in Rouge's hallway, not believing what just happened.

" NOW LOOK WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!" The ebony hedgehog yelled at the smirking bat, who sat relaxed on her sofa, seemingly enjoying what just happened.

Hope you enjoyed it, please review!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11. This took me all day to write, I had a massive case of writers block. Hope it turned out okay though!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone and I never will.

Amy ran tears pouring from her jade eyes, as she made her way back to her apartment, but before she made it to her destination tiredness kicked in. She was still incredibly weak, and had to stop running. Amy caught her breath briefly leaning up against a lamppost, before she started to run again. This time she barely made it to the next lamppost before she had to stop, her breathing more frantic. Amy knew she should not run, but she had to get back home. Shadow was almost certainly following her, and he could easily catch up with her. Amy did not want to see him; she did not want to hear his excuses. She saw him with Rouge with her own eyes, and it broke her heart. At home, she could shut herself from him and the rest of the cruel, harsh world. Amy let go of the lamppost and began to run, but fell to the hard pavement immediately, exhausted.

Shadow sped from the batgirl's mansion, and tried to catch up with Amy. He was furious with Rouge anyway for flirting with him, but now Amy thinks he was cheating on her! Shadow needed to tell the pink hedgehog the truth, that he loved her and would never leave her, and that Rouge came on to him. He did not want anything like that to ever happen. Shadow suddenly stopped running. In the middle of the pavement, he spotted a small pink figure lying still.

" AMY!" he yelled and rushed to the hedgehog. Her eyes were still open, and she was conscious. It just looked like she fell.

" Shadow, go away. I am fine; I'm just tired. Go back to Rouge," Amy cried weakly, forcing herself to sit up.

Shadow looked at the frail girl sadly. She had cuts on her arms and legs where she fell, and her blood stained the pavement. Her face was shimmering with tears, and her eyes held no happy thoughts. Shadow thought it was probable that she had no happy thoughts left. Amy had been through so much, things that no fourteen-year-old should ever go through. He wondered what damage had been caused to her mentally, and what state her mind was in. Shadow just wanted to care for her.

" Amy, please. I do NOT like Rouge at all. Not even as an ally anymore. She is too…flirty. I can explain what happened, please at least hear my side of the story. I do not want to be with Rouge," Shadow begged the weak, pink, hedgehog. He hated to beg, but he had no other choice. He just wanted to be with Amy, just as much as he wanted Maria back.

Amy looked up at the older hedgehog, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth, but as usual, his face held no expression. She felt she should at least give him a chance to explain fully what she saw. Amy still loved him very much.

" I will hear whatever you have to say Shadow," Amy whispered. Shadow gave her a small smile.

" Shall we go somewhere else then in the middle of the street?" Shadow asked, and Amy nodded.

Shadow tried to help the pink hedgehog to her feet, but Amy refused his assistance. As soon as Amy managed to get up and started to walk with Shadow to his house, she fell again, but Shadow caught her. Amy gave him a quick gracious smile.

" Thanks," She said briefly, then to her surprise she found herself being lifted off the ground and cradled in Shadow's arms. Before she could protest, the black hedgehog took off at a sprint towards his house. Amy relaxed in his arms, no matter how angry she was with Shadow; he made her feel safe and loved. She shut her eyes and enjoyed the ride.

Amy felt the ebony hedgehog stop, and she reopened her eyes. She found herself in what appeared to be Shadow's lounge. Shadow placed her carefully on his sofa, and took a seat next to her. Amy turned her head, taking in the surroundings. She had never been to Shadow's house before, and she was shocked at the amount of black someone could have in a room. In Amy's opinion, someone's lounge had to be somewhere where you could relax, and she could not see how you could relax in this room. The walls were painted black and the carpet was black, it reminded her of the cell Eggman locked her in. The sofa was black leather, and the blinds were black. On the wall was a dartboard with a picture of Sonic in it and a wide screen television. There was a small table next to the sofa with two pictures on it, one of Maria and one of her. Amy smiled when she saw the picture of herself; it was a good one. It was taken at her fourteenth birthday.

Shadow noticed her looking at his room and grinned.

" How do you like my house Ames?" he asked.

" Its…very black. Not really my taste!" Amy replied laughing, but then her face became serious. " Shadow what did happen, and I want the truth,"

Shadow nodded.

" Amy I only went to see Rouge to find out where the next Chaos Emeralds are, but you know what Rouge is like. She was being all flirty and I do not like that. Rouge told me that she already had the rest of the Emeralds apart from the one Sonic has and the eighth, then after that she started to come on to me. I did not want anything like that to happen, I love you Amy, and not Rouge. I really love you, and I mean it. I do not want to see you get hurt. Please Amy, just forget that happened," the ebony hedgehog begged.

Amy thought about what Shadow said, as she stared into his ruby eyes. It was unlike Shadow to lie. Could she trust him? Could she give him another chance?

" Shadow, I am willing to let this go. I am sorry for calling you a bastard, and I am sure you are telling the truth," Amy cried smiling.

Shadow smiled back at her, leaned over and planted a small kiss on her lips.

" Thanks for believing me Ames. Tomorrow we will have a break from getting the last Emeralds, and we can spend the day together if you want," Shadow said, and Amy's face lit up with excitement.

" Yeah, that would be fun!" She cried happily.

" Only for a day though, I still really need those Emeralds!" Shadow added as he got up off the sofa. " I better clean your cuts Amy, you don't want them to get infected," he said as he walked out the room towards the bathroom.

Amy watched him as he left with a wide grin on her face, she could not believe she was so close to loosing her relationship with him. He was so kind to her, and treated her differently to all her friends. Amy got to see the more sensitive, caring side to the mysterious, dark hedgehog, and she loved it.

Hope you enjoyed it! Please review!


	12. Chapter 12

I have finally completed chapter 12! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Never owned anyone, and sadly never will.

Amy paced through her hallway excitedly waiting for a knock on her door. In ten minutes time Shadow was due to pick her up, and they were to go out together for the day. This was a new and thrilling concept for the pink hedgehog, as the only times she has ever been out with her boyfriend was for getting Emeralds or even worse reasons. Amy had been up for hours beforehand choosing an outfit and perfecting her makeup, and she hoped the final result was enough to appear extra attractive to the ebony hedgehog.

Suddenly a sharp, loud bang was heard on the door, and Amy squealed with delight. Shadow was early, a good thing. She grabbed her coat and bag from the hook on the wall, and swung the door open. Standing at the doorway was the raven hedgehog, a wide smile on his face.

" Are you ready to go?" He asked, and Amy nodded vigorously. They walked out of the apartment, and headed for Station Square shopping centre. Shadow was not too impressed about spending the morning shopping, but the night before Amy begged him to take her on the conditions that Shadow could choose where to go for the rest of the day.

When the couple finally entered the shopping centre, Shadow looked on in disbelief. He had never stepped inside a shopping centre before, and never planned to, but he was shocked that they could have so many shops in one place. Shadow just hoped Amy did not want to make a visit to every one, as he did not plan to spend the rest of his life here.

" Come on, let's get shopping!" Amy cried, grabbing the raven hedgehog by the hand and dragging him into the nearest shop.

Two hours later, the two hedgehogs were finally finished shopping. They headed out the centre and towards the nearest restaurant, each one carrying four bags full of clothes. None of the bags Shadow was carrying belonged to him; it was all Amy's things. As soon as they entered the restaurant, Shadow collapsed into a leather armchair, dropping the bags. He did not ever think shopping could ever be so tiring. Amy on the other hand was still full of energy, unaffected by the shopping exhibition. She laughed when she noticed how tired the ebony hedgehog was.

" Shadow, the Ultimate Life that can't manage to go shopping!" She teased, and received a small scowl in return.

As they waited for a waiter to come and serve them, Amy and Shadow started to discuss what to do after they had eaten. Shadow was about to suggest Twinkle Park as he found the place mildly entertaining, but a loud ring from his pocket interrupted his thoughts. Shadow pulled out the black Motorola puzzled. No one ever called him apart from Amy, and occasionally Rouge, and he hoped it was not that bat. Amy also leaned over the table to see who could be calling the ebony hedgehog. Shadow looked at his caller ID. It was Rouge. When Amy saw this, she shook her head violently.

" Do NOT answer it Shadow," she stated sternly, but despite this, Shadow answered it.

" Rouge," he spoke, while Amy glared at him from the opposite side of the table.

" Shadow, you must come NOW!" The unmistakable voice of the white bat yelled down the phone, and Shadow had to hold it slightly back from his ears.

" Why?" he asked sharply. He did not want to leave Amy, especially as he promised to spend the day with her. Shadow knew how upset, and angry Amy would be if he left her now, she was really enjoying their day out and so was he.

" Shad, its an emergency! Eggma-" Rouge began to yell, but Shadow interrupted. He did not need to hear anymore, The Doctor was a good enough excuse for him, no matter how bad he was going to feel about abandoning Amy.

" Rouge, I'm coming!" Shadow cried, and ended the call. He hastily shoved the phone back in his pocket, and started to get up, but Amy saw that coming, and had already raced to his side and shoved him back in his seat.

" Where the hell are you going!" She yelled, which made every head in the restaurant turn to face them and Shadow felt himself turning crimson.

" Amy Rouge is in trouble, it's The Doctor, I need to make sure she is fine," he explained slowly to his girlfriend, but Amy was still angry.

" Don't go and help her, you said yourself yesterday that you did not like her. Please stay with me, please. I love you, and I don't want you to leave me for Rouge," She pleaded, but Shadow shook his head.

" I must do this Ames, sorry. I will meet up with you later, promise. Stay home, and I mean STAY!" Shadow cried, as he kissed Amy quickly on the cheek, and raced out the door leaving Amy standing at her table in shock. She could not believe what had just happened. Shadow had just ran out the restaurant leaving her alone, just so he could help Rouge, if that was what he was really doing. Amy hated to think it; she hated to even imagine it was true, but she was sure now Shadow was cheating on her with Rouge.

Amy slumped back into her seat sadly. How could she ever really believe the ebony hedgehog was in love with her, she was nothing. Rouge was older, sexier, stronger, and more of Shadow's type. Amy forced herself to face the facts; Shadow really wanted to be with Rouge not her. A silvery tear fell from her emerald eyes as she walked slowly out the restaurant and onto the streets. Amy wanted to take a walk alone, to think.

Shadow banged on Rouge's mansion door, and to his surprise when the bat answered it, she seemed to be perfectly calm and safe.

" Hey Shad!" She exclaimed opening the door wide to let Shadow in, and he immediately raced in the mansion.

" What is going on Rouge, The Doctor is not here," Shadow asked puzzled. It was obvious as soon as the white bat opened the door that the evil scientist was not in the house, and something did not feel right. It seemed like a trap.

" I'm so sorry Shadow, so sorry," Rouge replied sadly following the ebony hedgehog into her mansion, and locking the front door securely behind them. To Shadow's surprise, there seemed to be seven locks on the door, and it confirmed his suspicions of it being a trap.

" Rouge, why are you sorry, I NEED TO KNOW!" he screamed at the bat, who was staring at the floor.

" Shadow, I am so sorry but it is a trap. Eggman, Eggman said he would pay me to keep you away from her so he could recapture her. I'm sorry, but I wanted the jewels he was offering me. I could not refuse," Rouge whispered.

" Who, who is The Doctor going to capture?" Shadow screamed, his eyes burning like flames, then it dawned on him. " AMY!" he yelled, and raced to the door. He kicked and punched it furiously, but it seemed to have been made extra strong, and the seven locks on the door were not helping him either.

" Let me out Rouge!" Shadow asked the bat angrily, but Rouge just shook her head sadly.

Amy sat silently on a bench in the park surrounded by pink roses. This was her favourite spot in the park, but the brightness of it was not making her happy. Her usual cheerful self was gone, she had convinced herself Shadow loved Rouge, and it was making her increasingly depressed, especially as she loved him still.

Suddenly the sound of manic laughing came from behind the pink hedgehog, and she immediately recognised who it was.

" Doctor Eggman!" Amy yelled leaping off her bench, and turning to face the evil scientist, who was in his new machine again.

" Hoho, I see you escaped imprisonment with the help of Shadow!" Eggman exclaimed laughing, " but he is not here to save you now little girl, you will tell me where that eighth Emerald is or I will kill you this time!"

" NEVER!" Amy screamed bringing out her Piko Piko hammer and charging at the mega machine. The giant claw that grabbed Amy the last time her path crossed with the machine shot out, but she managed to dodge it this time, she expected it. Amy continued to dash at the machine, but just as she was about to strike, three giant claws shot from within it, which Amy had no hope of foreseeing or dodging, and she was held tight within it.

" Let me go!" Amy screamed, but she knew it was no use. She did not even try to wiggle and break free, as she remembered from last time how impossible it was. Amy gave up, and the machine carried her back to Eggman's base. This time Amy was certain that Shadow would not even attempt to rescue her, she was sure he would be too busy having fun with Rouge.

Please Review!


	13. Chapter 13

I have finally completed this chapter, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Do not own anyone.

" OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!" Shadow yelled furiously at Rouge, who again just shook her head, and entered her lounge where she sat on her sofa, seemingly disappointed in herself. Shadow sighed, and reached into his pocket for Tails' Chaos Emerald. To his anger and surprise, he found it was not there.

" Sorry, I took your Emerald too. I had to make sure you would not escape with Chaos Blast," a small voice whispered from the lounge. Shadow moaned loudly. He walked into the lounge, sat on the sofa and pulled out his mobile. Shadow had run out of ideas about escaping from the mansion, but he had not run out of ideas for rescuing Amy. He started to ring Sonic's number…

Amy groaned. She had been tied to a chair in one of Eggman's rooms. Amy tried to break free of the ropes, but it was no use. She was stuck. _' At least the chair is soft," _She thought sadly. When Eggman tied her to the chair, he left with the words:

" Tell me the location of the eighth Emerald or you will be eliminated!"

Amy sighed. She was not planning to tell him where the Emerald was, and she was not planning on dying. Amy was planning on having Shadow rescue her, but she doubted he was bothered about her. She was sure he was having a lovely time with Rouge.

" DAMN HIM!" Shadow cursed loudly. He had rung Sonic both on his mobile, and on his landline many times with no reply. Shadow turned to Rouge.

" Please let me out Rouge, please. I will do anything; I need to rescue Amy. You don't understand, I lo- lo- love her," Shadow begged. He felt disgusted with himself for having to say that to the white bat, but he felt he was left with no choice. Shadow had to rescue Amy at all costs. Rouge brightened slightly at the ebony hedgehog's plea.

" Can I have a kiss? One small kiss and I'll let you go and rescue your precious girlfriend," Rouge requested, a cheeky grin playing on her face. Shadow looked horrified at what Rouge asked. There was no way he was going to kiss the batgirl. Shadow turned away revolted, folding his arms. He was not going that low. He would hate to kiss Rouge anyway, but he would feel like he was betraying Amy.

Shadow took out his mobile again. He had one last number he could try, Tails. He knew Tails hated Amy at the moment, but maybe he would still help. Tails was not the type of person who would want to see people get hurt. Shadow started to dial the number…

Amy's wrists and ankles started to sting. The ropes were pressing hard on her, and it was hurting. She tried wriggling out of them again, but with no success. Instead Amy tried screaming for help, but it was no use. There was no one for miles from Eggman's base that could possibly hear her. Amy gave up trying to escape and changed her thoughts to other people that could possibly save her. She liked to think that Shadow was on the way to rescue her, but Amy knew it was unlikely.

Tails beamed at his new plane, the Tornado Zed. He had been working on it for over six months, and it was finally ready. All that was needed now was his Chaos Emerald to power it up, and then he could take it for a test run. Tails walked over to the drawer he always kept it in and opened it. To his horror the drawer was empty. He frantically pulled out the rest of his drawers, but the Emerald was not in any of those either.

The two tailed fox thought for a moment. Who could have stolen his Emerald, and when? He had hardly left his workshop when he was working on the Tornado Zed apart from when he visited Sonic and went to the supermarket, so how could someone have got in. Then suddenly he remembered, the day he went out to see Sonic and came back to find his workshop in ruins. Amy was at the scene, and admitted to breaking in. She refused to give a reason though, and now Tails knew what it was. Amy stole his Chaos Emerald.

" I am gonna kill her!" Tails cried as he stormed from his newly refurbished workshop and headed for the train station, just as his phone started to ring…

" PICK UP THE DAMN PHONE!" Shadow yelled as he rung Tails' number. All he got was ringing; no one was picking up. Finally, Shadow hung up. He could tell no one was going to answer. Shadow threw his mobile at the wall in frustration, and watched angrily as it fell to the floor in pieces.

" You could always kiss me, my offer is still standing," Rouge cried from the other end of the sofa. Shadow stared at her with his flaming eyes, and shook his head slowly. He was not going to resort to that.

The ebony hedgehog marched from the lounge and into the hallway, where he found Rouge's telephone and phone book. Shadow was angry with himself for the lack of telephone contacts he had, but he knew Rouge had many. He hurriedly flicked through the pages, scanning the numbers for someone who would be of use to saving Amy, but most where useless. Suddenly Shadow spotted a useful number, Knuckles. A small smile spread on the black hedgehog's face as he picked up the receiver. Knuckles was super strong, and always willing to help.

Shadow held the receiver to his ear, and to his dismay heard nothing. No dialling tone, nothing. He dropped the receiver and turned around. Rouge was standing by the cable, a pair of sharp scissors in her hand.

" I cut the wire Shad," she explained. Shadow stared at him, a look of pure anger in his already bright eyes that pierced Rouge making her shiver. The look was of absolute evil and determination, a look that was not to mess with.

" Let me out bitch," Shadow growled, walking slowly up to the bat who started to back away frightened, " let me save Amy, or god help you."

Rouge continued to back away, her head shaking. She had never seen Shadow this mad before, and she was terrified of what he was capable of. But still, she was not allowed to let him out of the mansion.

" Sorry Shadow, I can't," Rouge whispered softly.

Shadow stopped walking, and collapsed to the floor. He was getting no where. He needed to think of a plan that would let him escape, and save the hedgehog he loved. Then the idea came to him. Shadow did not like it, but he felt he had no other choice.

He got up off the floor, and sprinted towards the unsuspecting bat, making a high pitched scream escape her lips. Shadow had her cornered. Rouge's breathing quickened, her heart pounding. Shadow was so close to her, and she had no way of escaping him. He could do anything to her, kill her. Rouge would not put that past him, he was so angry, and a man driven by anger was capable of doing anything.

Rouge closed her eyes as Shadow's hands reached out towards her, and prayed she would survive. However, to her surprise, his hands moved to her waist and his lips drew dangerously close to hers.

" I owe you a kiss," Shadow whispered softly as his hands held her close to him, and his lips leaned in…

Please review!


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 is finally here.

Disclaimer: I own nobody. boo hoo.

" I owe you a kiss," Shadow whispered softly as his hands held her close to him, and his lips leaned in…

Rouge relaxed. She was about to get what she always wanted, a kiss from the charismatic black hedgehog. A few years ago Rouge thought she loved Knuckles, but she later realised she never had that strong feelings for him. It was always Shadow. In her eyes, he was so gorgeous and mysterious; she longed for a taste of him...

She waited for his lips to touch hers as his hands ran softly up her body, but it never came. Rouge opened her eyes, and suddenly two hands swiftly reached out for her throat and successfully reached its target, squeezing tightly stopping the white bat from breathing. The owner of the hands stared at the suffocated woman with a disgusted look on his face, as though he did not notice her face was turning purple with lack of oxygen.

" As if I would ever kiss you, bitch." Shadow scowled, realising his grip on Rouge for a second so she could get some air, then taking control over her throat again. " Give me back my Chaos Emerald so I can escape this damn house, or I'll kill you now then take it from you," he stated calmly as though killing was no big deal.

Shadow let the terrified bat go and she immediately fell to the floor, holding her throat and breathing frantically. Rouge managed to reach into her pocket and pull out the gleaming Emerald, holding it out to the ebony hedgehog, which snatched it from her immediately. Shadow ran towards the front door and used Chaos Blast, which sent the strong door shattering in all directions, the solid locks nothing more than clumps of melted metal on the floor.

The raven hedgehog then sprinted out the door, leaving Rouge curled in the corner still recovering. She did not see that coming, she had let her guard down. It was easy to do that with Shadow, he had a way of appearing so seductive one minute, then could be destroying you the next.

Rouge wanted more than all her jewels to be with the dark hedgehog, and in her opinion Amy was the only thing standing in her way of becoming close with him. They were good friends before Amy started dating him, and she missed the old days. Just her and Shadow on missions without the pink hedgehog tagging along. Rouge wanted her out the picture; she wanted to be with Shadow herself. Then it came to her, Rouge thought of a way to make Amy hate Shadow forever…

Shadow Chaos Controlled into Eggman's base, then raced down the long, red, corridors, searching for a door that had an indication that Amy was inside. He saw the room where Amy was held before and had a quick glance inside, but it was blatant she was not going to be in there. The wall still had a gaping hole where Shadow Chaos Blasted it. Shadow continued to run, he had to find Amy. Then suddenly Shadow spotted Eggman. He hid behind a wall so he would not notice him, and watched where the Doctor was going. Eggman walked into a red door not far from where Shadow was hiding, and he had a gun in his hand. The ebony hedgehog gasped, he knew that gun had something to do with Amy, and the last thing he wanted was for Amy to be shot. Shadow immediately sprinted towards the door Eggman entered.

Amy looked at her wrists. She could see a red mark forming where the rope was pressing, and she groaned. Amy did not want to walk down the street with a bruise like that, but that was unimportant at the moment, she needed to come up with a plan to escape herself. Amy was now certain no one was bothered enough to rescue her, and she was not planning to stay tied up to the chair.

Suddenly a low whine was let out from the doorway, and Amy raised her head waiting for the evil scientist to appear in the doorway. Just like she thought it was Eggman, she did not get her hopes up that it was Shadow as she hates the disappointed feeling she would get afterwards. Eggman strolled into the room, locking the door behind him, and to Amy's horror held a laser gun in his hands.

" Right then Amy it has come to this now," he laughed pointing the gun to Amy's head, " I want that eighth Emerald, tell me where it is or die!"

Amy's eyes widened in shock, the last thing she expected for Eggman to bring out a gun. Eggman walked up close to the pink hedgehog keeping the gun pointed at her, until he stood right by her side with his gun to her head.

" Now tell me where the Emerald is!" He demanded.

All of a sudden, a loud bang erupted throughout the room, and bits of the wall flew everywhere. Eggman ducked, his hands over his head for protection, and Amy shut her eyes tight as pieces of broken wall darted towards them. When she re opened them, a small, dark figure emerged from the rubble, a gleaming yellow Emerald in his hands.

" Eggman, let Amy go," he requested.

Amy smiled widely; Shadow had come to save her. Maybe what she thought about him and Rouge was all wrong, and that he loved her really. The smile was soon wiped off Amy's face however when Eggman stood up straight and held the gun so it was pressing on the pink hedgehog's face.

" One more step Shadow, and I'll pull the trigger on your lover!" He laughed maniacally.

Shadow froze and thought about the situation. Amy was tied to a chair, her expression pure fear, while the Doctor held a gun to her head. One step and she could be dead.

" Now come forward slowly and hand over that Chaos Emerald Shadow like a good hedgehog, then I may not kill Amy," Eggman demanded.

Shadow looked at Amy, who slightly shook her head, which Shadow understood to mean ' don't give him the Emerald ' but he did not know what to do. Obviously, he did not want the mad scientist to get his Emerald, and his chance of bringing Maria back, but it would destroy him now to see Amy get killed because of that. That is why Shadow hated people getting close to him, they always end up getting hurt.

The ebony hedgehog took a deep breath as he slowly walked towards Eggman with the Chaos Emerald resting in the palm of his hand. As Shadow came closer to the doctor, his finger rested on the trigger of the gun, which made Amy close her eyes in fright. Shadow swallowed, he was not totally sure his plan was going to work, and if it didn't an innocent, young, hedgehogs life would be at stake…

Rouge played back all her CCTV footage from the last couple of hours from the control room on the top floor of her mansion, looking for one clip that might get her what she wanted. Throughout her home she had many cameras, at least five on every floor. This was mainly so she could see any intruders, but she was searching for a different type of clip this time.

A smile spread across the white bats face as she found just what she wanted, and ejected the video…

Shadow stood next to Eggman, his grip slightly loosening on the Chaos Emerald as he held it out to the Doctor.

" Shadow NO!" Amy yelled from the chair and tried to loosen herself from the ropes that held her, unsuccessfully. Shadow ignored the pink hedgehog as he watched Eggman lower his gun as he reached for the Emerald he was holding. At the last second, just before Eggman touched it, Shadow pulled back the Emerald and yanked the gun from the doctor's hands.

" UNTIE AMY!" Shadow yelled pointing the gun at Eggman, who obeyed immediately, frightened now the gun had turned to him.

As soon as Amy was let loose, she ran to Shadow and put her arms around him happily, as he Chaos Controlled out of the room, and into Amy's apartment.

" Oh Shadow, I thought you weren't coming for me!" Amy cried, as Shadow embraced her tight in the living room of Amy's apartment. " I thought you were going to leave me for Rouge,"

Shadow was shocked, how could she think he would do such a thing. He never betrays anyone like that; he was honest and always true to his word. He said he loved Amy and that was what he meant. Nevertheless, his thoughts changed as Amy's lips touched his…

Rouge picked up her pink mobile as her landline was broken, and scrolled through her phone book until she found Amy's home number. Rouge was sure Shadow would have saved her by now, so Amy's mind was all hers to mess with…

Shadow broke away from the pink hedgehog as a brilliant idea entered his head. Whenever Amy was alone in her apartment, or out for a walk, Eggman always seemed to capture her. Shadow needed to keep an eye on the petite hedgehog, he needed her to be in a place that Shadow could watch her most of the time, and he knew where.

A wide grin spread across his face as Shadow worked out the final details of his plan, which made Amy stare at him puzzled.

" What are you smiling at?" She asked him, and Shadow immediately wiped the grin from his face.

" Oh nothing Ames," He replied, " but I am going to go now. There is something important that I need to do. I will be back in a couple of hours, DO NOT leave the apartment. Seriously, I do not want you tied to another chair!" Shadow joked, and raced from the apartment without another word.

Amy sighed. She hated it when her boyfriend took off with no real explanation.

" Well that's Shadow for you, always busy," She whispered to herself. Amy strolled over to her sofa, and collapsed onto it. She yawned as she curled up on the sofa, and rested her tired head on a cushion. The past few days had been extremely exhausting, and a nap was just what she needed. Amy closed her heavy eyes and started to drift off, when a loud ring immediately brought her back to her senses.

RING RING. RING RING…

Amy groaned as she sat back up. Who could possibly be calling her just as she was about to get some well-deserved sleep? _' Its probably Cream,'_ She thought as she picked up the receiver.

" Amy, you have got to come over to mine and see this!" The clear voice of Rouge the bat spoke from the other end of the telephone. Amy was shocked. Why was Rouge calling her, and what did she want her to see? Whatever it was Amy was not going in case it was a trap, and even if it wasn't she hated Rouge anyway. In addition, Shadow told her not to leave, and she listens to what the older hedgehog tells her to do… most of the time.

" No way Rouge, I'm staying home today. And besides, why would I go visit your poor excuse for a mansion?" Amy taunted, slammed the receiver back on the hook, and made her way back into her lounge. She dived onto her sofa and closed her eyes…

Shadow walked slowly through Station Square shopping centre, peering in the window of nearly every shop. He still did not know his way around the place, and he had to somehow find the shops he was looking for. Suddenly a shop window display caught his eye, a display full of multi coloured paint pots in a row. Shadow looked at the sign on the shop, it read: ' Home Improvement Centre: For All Your D.I.Y Needs.' _' Perfect,' _the ebony hedgehog thought as he strolled inside the shop.

Amy was woken sharply, when the high pitched ring of her doorbell echoed throughout the lounge. Amy leapt off the sofa angrily as she marched towards the front door. It seemed as though every time she wanted some peace, someone interrupted her. At first Amy thought it might be Shadow, but when she looked at her clock she saw she had only been asleep for twenty five minutes, and Shadow said he would be gone for a couple of hours.

Amy swung open the door, and to her horror found Rouge standing in the doorway, a cheeky smile on her face. She was clutching what looked like a videotape.

" What the hell are you doing here?" Amy inquired staring at the white bat. She was intrigued by the video Rouge was holding, but that was not enough to want to invite her in. However, Amy did not need to invite her in, as Rouge pushed past her into the apartment.

" Nice place you have Amy, small, but nice!" Rouge smiled as she walked into the lounge and made herself at home on the sofa. Amy sighed as she closed the front door. It did not seem like a trap but still, Amy was certainly not happy about having the mischievous bat in her home, only it seemed she had no choice.

The petite hedgehog walked into the lounge, and sat next to Rouge who immediately thrust the videotape into her hands.

" What is on this tape Rouge?" Amy asked. She was now desperate to find out.

Rouge smiled cheekily, and winked at the pink hedgehog.

" Put it in the videotape player and find out honey for yourself." She replied. Amy saw a lot of sense in that. She got up off the sofa and put it into her player…

Shadow walked out the D.I.Y shop with a heavy carrier bag in his hands. He hated spending lots of rings, but this was all for Amy so it was worth the money. Anything to make the young, pink hedgehog happy. The ebony hedgehog continued to stroll through the shopping centre, the next shop on his list was the locksmith.

Rouge watched the video, a wide smile forming on her face. It was the CCTV footage that she had found from earlier. She looked at Amy who was still sitting next to her on the sofa, and smiled.

Amy stared at the television screen, her eyes quickly filling with tears. She could not believe what she was watching on the screen, she could not believe Shadow would ever do that to her. He said he loved her, then he goes and kisses Rouge. The tears fall as Amy cried silently as she watched her boyfriend lean in towards Rouge's welcoming mouth. She closes her eyes, and begs Rouge to turn it off, as the salty tears stream down her face, moistening her cheeks.

" I think I will be going now," Rouge whispered, ejecting the video and walking out the apartment leaving the door opened behind her. As soon as Rouge was out of Amy's earshot she started to laugh as she made her way back home.

Amy remained sitting cross-legged on the sofa, more and more tears streaming from her eyes. No matter how much she wiped them more tears formed, dripping from her emerald orbs. Amy hated Shadow for this, she hated him for taking her heart and shredding it into a billion pieces. She hated the way he said the words ' I love you' and swore he meant it, most of all she could not believe he left her on their day out to go kiss Rouge, leaving her to be captured by Eggman. Amy trusted the ebony hedgehog and she loved him. What did she do to deserve this pain?

Shadow walked contentedly up Amy's street, a bouquet of ruby red roses in his hands. He had finished shopping, and had bought everything he wanted and was ready to take a big step in his life. He was going to ask Amy to move in with him. Shadow knew Amy was not too keen on his home, mainly because of all the black, so he bought some pink paint to change the colour of the walls. He did not like it, but he knew Amy would, and that was what mattered to Shadow. He loved Amy, and only wanted the best for her. Shadow reached the pink hedgehog's apartment and found the door wide open. He looked at the doorway, puzzled about why the door was open, shrugged and walked in.

" Amy!" Shadow called out, but got no reply. He walked into the lounge and found the pink hedgehog sitting on the sofa, her face glistening, and her jade green eyes still pouring out tears.

" Ames honey, what is wrong?" Shadow asked softly sitting next to the heartbroken, female, dropping the roses and placing his arms around her body. Amy pushed him away, leaping off the sofa. Shadow was shocked. He had not done anything to her; he would never hurt Amy. So why was she crying, why was she not talking to him?

" Amy, please. What has happened? Tell me, I may be able to help," Shadow begged.

Amy turned to face the raven hedgehog, her eyes bloodshot, and her cheeks stained with dried tears.

" How could you do this to me Shadow, I thought you loved me," She sobbed, her voice shaky.

Shadow was confused. What had he done? He stared at Amy, a frown on his face.

" Do what Amy? I have not done anything? I love you with all my heart," He cried. Shadow hated how mushy he sounded, but it was the truth and it seemed as though Amy needed to know that right now.

" Don't lie to me Shadow!" Amy screamed at the older hedgehog as again, tears fell down her face, " I know what you did with Rouge," She added sadly.

Shadow looked at Amy shocked. He had done nothing with Rouge and never would, how did she draw this conclusion?

" Ames, I have not done anything with Rouge at all, why are you saying this?" Shadow asked starting to get slightly angry, although he tried not to show that in his tone of voice. It was Amy he was talking to; he would regret it later if he got angry with her.

" I saw it with my own eyes Shadow!" Amy replied yelling, but tried to calm herself down unsuccessfully. " Just get the hell away from me Shadow, GET OUT OF MY SIGHT! I do not want to ever see you again."

Oh. I think that Chapter was a bit too long, sorry if you got bored. I should of broken it down into two chapters, but I just could not stop writing. Well anyway, please review if you got this far down the page, and did not give up reading it because it was too long and boring.


	15. Chapter 15

I have finally got chapter 15 up. I am updating more slowly now, as I am getting so much schoolwork its unbelievable. I also have to go to maths and science revision classes four times a week, and creative writing help, as I am failing that subject. So I hope you enjoy this chapter, as now I am tired.

Shadow leapt off the sofa. What did she see, there was nothing for her to witness, but Amy seemed convinced that he had done something with Rouge.

" Amy, please just listen. I have not done anything with Rouge, what you saw must have been untrue. Please, just believe me." Shadow pleaded, daring to put a hand on the pink hedgehog's shoulder.

Amy looked up at the ebony hedgehog leaving his hand resting on her shoulder, and it looked like she was to forget it all. She stared Shadow straight in his ruby eyes, and saw sadness mixed with confusion resting in them, no sign of lie. Amy considered trusting the older hedgehog's words and forgetting all that happened; she just wanted to be safe in his strong arms again. Amy wanted to believe Shadow, deep in her heart she knew he would never lie to her, but she saw the videotape. She saw Shadow kissing Rouge, and how could she trust him again after that. Amy was about to brush Shadow's hand off her, when she suddenly remembered a vital fact. She did not actually see Shadow's lips meet with Rouge's. Amy remembered seeing her boyfriend lean in, then she closed her eyes and begged Rouge to turn it off.

A small spark of hope appeared in Amy's mind, maybe Shadow had not actually kissed the Bat Slut after all. A tiny smile forced its way on to Amy's face as she considered the possibility, but it faded quickly. She needed more evidence; she needs to be one hundred percent sure that Shadow was not a lying, cheating, bastard before she could trust him again. Amy needed to watch the rest of the tape. She moved away from Shadow, and walked into her hallway where she put on her coat.

" Shadow, I am going for a walk to think about everything. My mind is all messed up and confused at the moment, and I don't know what to do. I'll be back later, please wait for me here. Then I'll give you my answer of whether to trust you again or not," Amy called to Shadow sadly from the hallway, as she stepped out of her door. She was going to Rouge's mansion.

Shadow heard the front door close, and sat back down on the sofa. He was confused himself; he had no idea where Amy was getting the idea that he did something with Rouge from. However, that did not really matter to him, he just wanted Amy back with him in his arms. Shadow loved her more then he thought he was capable of loving, and he had come so far with her. He was not prepared to say goodbye to their relationship now.

Amy walked slowly down the long streets leading to Rouge's mansion. It was late in the afternoon, and just starting to get dark. She quickened her pace; she did not like to be out alone in the dark, so she wanted to make her visit to Rouge as quickly as possible.

Finally Amy made it to the older bat's home, and saw the door destroyed, splinters of wood littering the floor nearby where it used to be. _' Looks like the work of Chaos Blast,' _Amy thought, _' maybe he was not with Rouge for a pleasurable visit, as it seems he had to resort to dangerous means of escape.' _That made Amy feel slightly better, as she strolled into Rouge's home.

" Rouge, I need to see the video again!" Amy yelled to the bat from her hallway, but she received no reply. " ROUGE!" she tried again, but again no answer. It seemed as though the white bat was out. Amy shrugged; maybe it would be better for her to look around Rouge's home alone anyway.

Amy walked into the lounge, and scanned the room. Nothing was out of the ordinary; everything was exactly like it was the last time Amy visited the mansion, except she noticed a videotape lying on the coffee table. The pink hedgehog strolled over to it and picked it up. Yes, it was the one she saw earlier, the one with the CCTV footage. Amy found Rouge's video player, placed the video inside, and pressed the play button. As she sat on the sofa waiting for the image to appear on the screen, she vowed to see the whole of the footage no matter how painful it was for her to watch it. She needed to find out the truth about what happened between her lover and the bat slut.

Amy forced her eyes to remain on the television screen as the video played. She watched Shadow corner Rouge in the far wall of the hallway, and saw him lean in, the place she watched up to last time. Her emerald eyes widened as she prepared herself for whatever it was she was about to see next on the screen, but to her horror the image fuzzed then flashed to just Rouge, lying in the corner terrified, clutching her throat. Amy hurriedly rewound the footage to make sure that she just had not blinked and missed what happened, but the same thing happened again. The video just fuzzed for a few seconds, then flashed to the same image of Rouge.

" DAMN!" Amy cursed aloud, and smashed the television with her hammer in anger. Rouge was going to kill her for doing that, but Amy did not care. She just wanted to know the truth about what happened. Her heart was telling her to just run up to Shadow now and kiss him, but she had to be sure it was the right thing to do. Amy did not want her heart to keep on being broken, as there were only a limited number of times it could heal. She needed more time to think, somewhere peaceful. She needed to be alone.

The sorrowful pink hedgehog slowly walked from the mansion and towards the park. The sky was black now, a thick raven cloud coating the stars and moon, and a chilly, gentle breeze blew around Amy tickling her fur, and cooling her body. When she finally made it to her favourite bench in Station Square Park, she sat down, trying to piece together all the information she had about her situation. Amy knew for a fact Shadow did go to see Rouge, but what the visit was for, she was still unsure. The video footage shown the black hedgehog leaning in towards the bat, but never shown them kiss. Then afterwards it was just Rouge on the floor. Amy was not sure why the bat's face was screwed up in pain, and her hand on her throat, but maybe Shadow hurt her. That was a promising thought.

As she continued to think Amy stared up at the sky. She noticed a fine rain falling from the clouds, and all the trees were dripping water on the grass. The pink hedgehog frowned, she did not recall it raining, but she then realised her clothes were soaked through, and droplets fell from her quills wetting her shoulder. She sighed deeply, as she squeezed the water from her quills onto the already saturated ground, only for them to be dripping water again a few seconds later. Now Amy had noticed the rain it affected her concentration, her whole body felt damp and uncomfortable. She sneezed loudly, making her head tingle. Amy hoped she was not catching a cold, but the longer she stayed out in the rain, the more likely she was to get one. Nevertheless, she was not ready to leave yet.

Shadow stared at the clock on Amy's lounge wall worriedly, as he paced the room. It had been three hours since the depressed pink hedgehog left the apartment, and he had received no word of her coming back. The ebony hedgehog prayed nothing had happened to her, and that she was only thinking, but she was taking a long time. Shadow was still unsure of what was happening with Amy anyway, he was about to ask her to live with him, the biggest step in a relationship Shadow has ever taken in his life, and then she accuses him of cheating with Rouge. He had no idea who she got this theory from, and when he finds out he plans to beat the hell out of them, especially if they end up causing the end of his relationship with the usually cheerful pink female that always brightened Shadow's day with one of her warm smiles.

The ebony hedgehog retreated to the sofa, as he waited anxiously for Amy's return. The ruby roses he bought his love earlier lay sadly on the floor, its petals broken off, scattered around the stem. The roses broken forever like Shadow's heart if Amy was to leave him.

Amy's clothes were as damp as her heart as she continued to sit on the bench in the dead of night. The clouds were beginning to clear, and the moon was able to shine through the gaps, its pearly glow reflecting in the many puddles on the ground, and every water droplet on Amy's face shone. The pink hedgehog still had not come to a decision about Shadow, and that was annoying her as much as the rain. She thought it would be easy, just find enough evidence to prove him innocent, but her mind was messed up and confused. _' The rain is not helping my trail of thought either!' _Amy thought angrily as the water hammered on her head, and she sneezed again.

Suddenly Amy felt the rain stop falling on her, and a soft voice whispered

" You will die of cold if you stay out here any longer."

Amy turned around immediately expecting to see Shadow, knowing she would throw her arms around him, but she found Sonic standing there, a weak smile on his face, and a pale blue umbrella in his hand which he was holding over the pink hedgehog. Amy's heart sank. She knew it was Sonic, she could tell by the carefree tone in his voice. Shadow always sounded much more serious. The azure hedgehog sat down next to the fourteen year old and looked at her sadly.

" Ames, are you going to tell me what is wrong? It's not like you to sit alone in the rain at night, and you look troubled anyway!" He asked gently. Amy stared at Sonic in his emerald eyes, and only saw concern, nothing else. He was much easier to work out than Shadow, whose eyes were so deep, and you could get lost in him. _' Maybe telling Sonic what's troubling me might help me figure out what to do,' _She thought.

Amy told Sonic everything that had happened between her, Rouge, and Shadow, and the cerulean hedgehog listened intently. When the young female finished her story, she felt her eyes filling with tears but did not know why. She let them fall, as her cheeks were already wet.

" Ames, Shadow never lies, EVER!" Sonic told Amy firmly, " it is not in his personality to lie. If he says he did not kiss Rouge then he did not. You know what Rouge is like; she likes to stir things up. That bat slut has no real proof anyway." He continued. Amy nodded at Sonic's words.

" I know he never lies, but my mind is all confused. I just don't want my heart to be broken again. Like you did to me a while back," she whispered, turning away from the sighing older hedgehog.

" Amy, that was in the past and I'm sorry, but you have Shadow. Shadow loves you, so you are going to go back to your apartment now and kiss him." He demanded. Suddenly everything made sense in Amy's head. Shadow loved her, she loved him, and that was what mattered. She leapt off the bench somehow full of energy, and started to run back home, but suddenly she came to a stop. Amy needed to do something. The pink hedgehog sprinted back towards the bench, and to her relief Sonic was still there.

" Thank you for everything Sonic, I really could not have come to a decision without you," she cried, and kissed the unsuspecting hedgehog on the lips. It was a friendly kiss, only lasting two or three seconds, but it gave Sonic all he needed to know. The young female still had a place in her heart for him. He could tell by the way her soft lips hung to his, and a small part of him was glad of it. As they broke away, Amy ran off without saying another word, leaving Sonic staring at her as she left in wonder.

Shadow looked back at the clock. It was an hour since he had last looked, and still Amy was not back. The ebony hedgehog could hear the rain from outside, and did not want his love outside in it. The last thing he needed was her to be ill. Suddenly the sound of a key turning in a lock was heard from the hallway, and the front door opened. Shadow raced into the hall, and saw Amy standing in the doorway, a pool of water forming at her feet. He waited for her answer eagerly as the petite female closed the door, and knew what it was as soon as a wide smile appeared on her face.

" Oh Shadow!" she cried, as she threw her arms around his neck embracing him tight. As she finally let go of him, Shadow pulled a small key from his pocket smiling.

" Amy, will you move in with me? I can not imagine a life without you by my side anymore. I have even painted the rooms a lighter colour," he asked holding out the key to the pink hedgehog that took it happily, a huge smile refusing to leave her face.

" Of course, I'll move in with you Shadow, I love you. I'm so sorry for believing what Rouge said, I will never trust her again,"

Suddenly Shadow's eyes flashed, and his face turned angry.

" ROUGE TOLD YOU THAT!" He screamed loudly, his ruby eyes burning like flames.

Amy nodded slowly, and to her surprise, she felt herself being picked up and placed in Shadow's strong, protective, arms as he carried her out the door, running as fast as he could go while carrying someone in his arms.

" I am going to kill her!" The black hedgehog yelled as he made his way to the mansion with Amy in her arms.

I hope you liked it, and please Review!


	16. Chapter 16

Yay, I am going on holiday tomorrow, and it's Easter holidays! So in theory I should be able to update more often. We will see how that works out...

Disclaimer: Own no one at all.

Shadow ran at amazing speeds that he had never reached before towards the white bat's mansion, Amy clinging on to his arm tight, eyes shut as the black, starry sky passing so fast over her head was making her dizzy. The young hedgehog wished she never told Shadow it was Rouge that created the rumours, she was terrified of what the ebony hedgehog could do to her. He said he was to kill her, but Shadow would never go that far…would he? Amy was unsure, her lover was extremely capable of killing the bat slut, and he was known to do incredible things when angry. Amy opened her eyes and stared up into Shadow's deep, crimson orbs, and all she could see was pure anger towards Rouge. The pink hedgehog looked away again, and prayed that at the end of the seemingly everlasting night the raven hedgehog that held her so tight would not have a murder on his conscious.

Finally the couple reached the mansion and Shadow marched through the hole in the wall, placing Amy down gently in the hallway.

" ROUGE!" He screamed, darting into every room quickly, checking if the bat was there, " ROUGE!" He yelled again, but there was no sign of her anywhere.

" Shad calm down, I don't think Rouge is in yet. Let's just go home, I'm tired," Amy begged, catching up with the furious male.

Shadow turned and stared at her, meeting her eyes. His ruby orbs burning like flames into Amy's, and his fur took on a strange red glow making him look like a being of pure evil. The pink hedgehog took a small, shaky step back from Shadow, afraid of how he was going to react to her telling him to calm down. The older hedgehog noticed this; the crimson glow faded making him look normal again, and his face turned gentler. He did not mean to scare the young female, it was not her he was angry with.

" Sorry Ames, I just got a bit worked up over this whole situation. Let's go then, we will return tomorrow," Shadow apologised, walking up to Amy, and taking her hand in his, squeezing it lovingly. The pink hedgehog shook her head violently.

" Not tomorrow. We have more important things to do like getting the Emeralds to bring back Maria. Just let this go Shad please, just forget it," Amy pleaded to the owner of the hand gripped tight on hers. Shadow thought for a second and sighed. If he was going to be with Amy he would need to make some compromises, and if that meant sparing Rouge's life he was prepared to do it…for now.

" Okay, we will get the Emeralds. But the next time I see Rouge…well l will say that I will NOT let this go," The raven hedgehog replied. Amy nodded. That would do for her. Hand in hand, they both walked from the mansion, and back to Amy's apartment.

When the couple reached the apartment Amy let them in, and closed the door shut behind them.

" What time are we leaving tomorrow to get Sonic's Emerald Shad?" The pink hedgehog asked letting out a huge yawn. Shadow thought for a second. Amy seemed to be very tired, so he did not want her getting up too early.

" Nine, no ten," the ebony hedgehog changed as his girlfriend allowed another yawn to pass her lips. It appeared as though she really needed the sleep. Shadow kissed Amy gently on the cheek and let himself out the apartment, no more words said. The tired female sighed as she made her way to her window just in time to see her boyfriend jet off down the road. Shadow never spoke that much, or was too affectionate for long, but Amy knew he loved her. Shadow was just…Shadow. Different from everyone else, special. Amy just hoped that when she moves into his home he took more notice of her. The pink hedgehog left her window and got herself ready for bed, she was exhausted and needed a lot of sleep for the busy day ahead of her tomorrow.

Ding-dong…

Ding-dong…

Amy groaned and rolled in her bedsheets. She could hear her doorbell and was not planning on getting up to answer it, especially as the annoying sound woke her up. It could not be later than seven, maybe half seven, and she needed the rest. She opened her eyes and a blast of sunlight hit her that crept through the curtains making her squint, too much sunshine for around seven. Amy turned to her clock to check on the time, and too her horror the clock read ten-o clock, and she then realised it must be Shadow at the door. It was time for her to be leaving! Amy forced herself out of her bed and made her way to the door. As soon as she opened it, she was met with Shadows face, which frowned when he noticed what she was wearing.

" Amy, why are you still in your pyjamas?" he asked looking the girl up and down, " we need to be going NOW," the older hedgehog added sternly. When Shadow received no answer from his girlfriend, he sighed, walking into her lounge and crashing onto the sofa. She was extremely tired last night so he was prepared to make some allowance. " Amy, you have fifteen minutes then we are going no matter what state of dress you are in… and I'm being generous," the ebony hedgehog demanded.

Amy nodded and ran to the bathroom immediately. She quickly splashed her face with lukewarm water before heading to her bedroom to decide what to wear. This was a hard decision usually anyway, and with her short time limit, she had no time to be fussy. Eventually, the pink hedgehog decided on a pair of faded jeans, and a pink strappy top with a flower motif, put a layer of red gloss on her lips, and quickly combed down her smooth quills, before grabbing her red boots and dashing into the lounge to put them on.

When Shadow saw Amy speed into the room he smiled. She always looked so pretty, even when she had only spent ten minutes getting ready. He was surprised that she did not take the full fifteen he had given her, but he was not complaining. As soon as her boots were on, the ebony hedgehog kissed Amy gently on the lips making her giggle softly, grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out the door letting her jog by his side.

Finally the couple reached Sonic's house and rang the doorbell. When the door opened, the cerulean hedgehog grinned at the two visitors and winked at Shadow, making him blush and let go of Amy's hand immediately.

" Hey Shadow, long time no see, and Amy! I see it went well with you last night. Well anyway, come on in!" Sonic cried in his laid-back voice and stepped to the side, welcoming the contrasting hedgehogs inside.

When they settled in the lounge, Shadow whispered to Amy,

" How does faker know what happened last night?"

Amy looked uncomfortable and smoothed down her hair.

" I…don't know?" she replied, but the ebony hedgehog was unconvinced. He eyed her suspiciously, but decided not to press the matter as Sonic entered the room.

" So, what do you two love birds want? A room?" The azure hedgehog smirked, collapsing into the sofa next to them. Shadow glared at Sonic.

" We are NOT love birds!" he exclaimed angrily making Sonic laugh, " and I want your Chaos Emerald!" the ebony hedgehog added.

The seventeen-year-old hedgehog raised an eyebrow.

" Why should I give it to you faker?" he asked cockily.

Shadow leapt off the sofa angrily.

" You are the faker around here, now give me that damn Emerald!" he exclaimed.

Amy looked at both hedgehogs worriedly. She could tell a fight was about to break out, and that was not what she and Shadow was there for. The young female did not want to see any of them get hurt.

" Shad, sit down," Amy asked her boyfriend gently pushing down on his shoulder, making him reluctantly sit back down on the sofa. " Sonic, please let us have the Emerald, we really, really need it!" Amy begged softly, batting her eyelids and pouting.

Sonic stared at Amy's rosy lips, and smiled to himself as he remembered those same lips on his last night. That quick kiss gave him a good feeling, one he should not have towards his friend, but he could not help it. Amy was a cute girl, he had always thought so, but never admitted it. He had always claimed to his Tails before he met her that a girlfriend was not his style, and did not want to change his opinion and see the smug look on his friend's face. But still, he had a soft spot for the pink hedgehog, and when she was begging like this, he could not refuse.

" Okay Ames, you can borrow it for a month, but after that I want it back!" The cerulean hedgehog answered smiling at the rosy hedgehog that smiled sweetly back.

" Thank you Sonic!" Amy replied brightly giving him a hug.

As Shadow witnessed this action, pangs of jealously erupted from within his mind. Why was his girlfriend hugging the faker, and why was she being so flirty with him? The ebony hedgehog felt that something was not quite right, but he tried to ignore his feelings. He had been listening to them too much lately, and he was not the type of person to let himself be ruled by them. Amy was hugging Sonic because they were friends, nothing more, and she was being flirty to get the Emerald, and it worked. He should be grateful for that. Still, Shadow would be much happier once they leave the azure hedgehog's home, and he can have Amy all to himself again.

Sonic left the room to get the Chaos Emerald, and Shadow got off the sofa.

" Well done Ames," Shadow congratulated the pink hedgehog softly, and slipped his arms around her waist pulling her into a passionate kiss, which made the over protective, ebony hedgehog feel much better knowing his girl was in his arms.

At this moment Sonic walked into the room, Chaos Emerald in hand, and spotted the couple lip locked in the centre of his lounge. The sapphire hedgehog tried not to feel jealous of Shadow, but failed. He did not know why he was feeling this way towards one of his best friends, but certainly was not going to let it show. Sonic had a reputation to keep up.

" Hey you guys, I have already asked if you wanted a room!" Sonic teased, startling the couple, making them come apart blushing. The cerulean teen smiled, and handed Amy the Emerald, who accepted it with another one of her sweet smiles. Shadow glared at Sonic before grabbing his lovers hand and leading her towards the front door. They had what they wanted; now he did not have to be in the presence of the faker anymore.

Sonic ran to the door to see the couple off when he remembered something.

" Amy, Tails was looking for you. He wants to see you immediately!" he yelled to the pink hedgehog from the doorway. Amy stuck her thumb up to show she heard and continued to let her boyfriend pull her back towards his house. She would have lunch there before going off to the Mystic Ruins to visit Tails. Amy only wondered what the two tailed fox wanted her for.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please review! I rushed it at the end because I got tired, but wanted to update before I go on holiday!


	17. Chapter 17

I have finally found time to update, it took a bit longer than usual. But I have been really busy revising, and the internet was down, and the email is still not working, but anyway please enjoy!

Disclaimer: Own no one.

" Um…Shadow, Why is the fridge empty?" Amy called to her boyfriend, closing the fridge door puzzled. The couple had arrived at the ebony hedgehog's house and Amy had volunteered to make them both lunch as it would give her practise of where to find things in the kitchen when she moves in, but she could not cook when there was no food to cook with.

" I don't really eat that often and I hate shopping, just cook with whatever you can find," Shadow replied from the lounge. Amy sighed; it looked like they were skipping lunch today. As she left the kitchen to join her boyfriend, the pink hedgehog decided that as soon as she was living in the house the fridge will be kept full.

As Amy strolled into the lounge, Shadow looked up at her and smiled. He wondered what she was making them for lunch, he never really eats that meal, but if Amy wanted to cook it for him, he could not refuse. Apparently, she was a good cook.

" What did you find then?" The ebony hedgehog asked cheerfully.

Amy scowled at him as she flopped down onto the sofa next to him.

" Nothing as you don't keep the house stocked Shadow, how can you live like this?" She moaned. Shadow laughed in reply, he could live like that easily. He leant over, kissed Amy lightly on her soft cheek, making her smile and relax her head on his shoulder for a second before removing it, and quickly leapt off the sofa.

" I need to go and see Tails!" The pink hedgehog exclaimed startling Shadow, " I better go now, I will see you later Shad!" she cried and turned towards the door, but the black hedgehog was faster. Shadow grabbed her hand stopping her from going anywhere. Amy groaned; she knew exactly what he was going to say next.

" You are not going out anywhere without me Amy," Shadow demanded, keeping his tight grip on his girlfriends hand, " I do not want you getting captured or hurt."

The pink hedgehog sighed. Shadow was always so overprotective towards her; he hated to have her out of his sight. She knew he was only trying to protect her, but it really got on her nerves sometimes. Occasionally she liked to go off some places by herself so she could think at get some space, its not too much to ask is it?

" Shad, its only to Tails' workshop. I will be perfectly fine by myself," the teenage hedgehog begged, fluttering her eyelashes alluringly, however her charms failed to change the older hedgehog's mind.

" Amy, I AM coming with you just in case," he finalised, ignoring all of Amy's continuing protests. Suddenly, he felt a sharp tug on his hand making him let go of Amy's and he looked down at the floor. Sitting cross-legged on the carpet was his girlfriend, her mouth in a frown, and her eyes glaring at him. Shadow sighed, he forget the pink hedgehog was still only fourteen, and can be immature at sometimes. This seemed to be one of those times. It seemed as though she would do anything to get her own way.

" Fine then, you get four hours, and that is until half five if you did not know. Then I am coming to find you Amy, I just don't want you getting hurt that's why," Shadow gave in, making a wide smile spread across the young female's face.

" Oh thanks Shad!" she cried, throwing her arms around him, and placing a small kiss on his lips, before waving as she ran out the front door.

The ebony hedgehog watched his girlfriend shoot down the road towards the Mystic Ruins, his mouth fixed in a frown. He hoped he was doing the right thing. Shadow knew he had to trust in people more, but he found that harder to do than others, ever since Maria died. However, he would be reunited with her soon and that was all thanks to Amy really. The least he could do was give her some space that he knew she needed. He loved her, and he loved him, but he had to allow her to breathe.

Amy finally arrived at Tails' workshop and banged on his door. It was a new door, obviously a replacement of the one that Amy knocked down. The pink hedgehog felt pangs of guilt as she remembered the state of Tails' home when she was finished with her hammer, but she tried to forget that. The yellow fox had probably forgiven her now, otherwise why would he still want to see her?

Suddenly the door swung open, and Amy was met with Tails. At first his expression was relaxed, but changed to angry when he saw who was at the door.

" Amy, I need a sharp word with you," the yellow fox stated somewhat calmly, holding the door open to the pink hedgehog, who stepped through the doorway feeling slightly worried about what the ten year old wanted to say.

When Amy walked into the lounge, she noticed that the room was back to the way it normally looked, if not better. Everything was immaculate and tidy, and she was carefully not to knock anything as she made her way to the new sofa and sat down. A minute later Tails joined the pink hedgehog in the room, but instead of sitting, stood up in front of her, his furious expression burning into her skull.

" Where is my Chaos Emerald Amy?" The fox interrogated, his voice sounding unnaturally deep. Amy gasped shocked, and slapped her forehead. She had completely forgotten that she had his Emerald, and more pangs of guilt kicked in. She stared into the fox's eyes and gulped. Amy knew he needed to know the truth.

" I took it Tails, I'm sorry. I promise to give it back when I am finished with it, promise," Amy cried. Tails nodded.

" Amy I knew you took it, but why, and why did you not just ask me for it," he continued.

The worried hedgehog sighed deeply. She really did not want to tell Tails the reason behind taking the Chaos Emerald, it could spoil her plans completely. The yellow fox, although young, was extremely clever; way clever then Amy could ever hope to be. He would know from the moment she told him what she was to use the Emeralds for, he would understand her plan, and worse, prevent her from carrying it out. However, the pink hedgehog was sure that Tails would not let her leave the workshop until she tells him, and he can see through her lies. Amy was left with no alternative.

" Tails don't flip, but I need the seven Chaos Emeralds and the legendary eighth, to help bring back Maria," Amy whispered, staring at the floor. Tails gasped, and immediately sat down next to the pink hedgehog.

" Amy, do you know what that ritual involves?" he asked her, his tone of voice changed completely. The teenage hedgehog nodded slowly. Tails shook his head shocked. He could not believe his friend wanted to do this.

" Ames, who is going to be the…you know what I mean. I just don't like saying it," Tails continued to enquire.

Amy felt her eyes starting to fill with tears, and ran a hand over them. She had not really done much thinking about this part of her plan; she just wanted to deal with it when she met it. However, talking to Tails now made her realise exactly what she was doing, and she was still prepared to go that far for Shadow. He needed Maria, she wanted to relieve him of all his pain and troubles.

" Me," the young female managed to say before bursting into tears. Tails leapt off the sofa in shock for two reasons. He had never been left alone in a room with a crying girl before, and he could not believe how far Amy would go for her boyfriend.

" Um, don't cry Amy," the fox said lamely, and of course the pink hedgehog continued to cry. Tails waited until she had finished before he started to question her again. " Does Shadow know?"

Amy shook her head again. Tails sat back down next to her on the sofa. He needed to talk some sense into the girl.

" Ames, wouldn't Shadow be heartbroken if you carry out the ritual? Won't you cause even more pain?" he asked.

" No," the teenager replied, " he would have Maria. She means more to him than anyone, and he needs her. Shadow would be happy, and that is all I want now, to see him happy."

" Is there anything at all I or anyone can do to change your mind?" Tails pleaded, staring into his friend's emerald eyes.

" No Tails," Amy said softly, " I accept and understand the conditions of the ritual. To bring back someone to life, you must give one in return. I am willing to do this for Shadow. He needs Maria."

Read and Review!


	18. Chapter 18

Yay, I finally updated! It took a while what with exams and er more exams, but I finally did it! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Own no one as usual.

Tails sighed deeply. It seemed as though Amy's mind was set on sacrificing herself to bring back Maria for her boyfriend, and it appeared as though there was no way for him to change the young hedgehog's mind. The Fox decided to stop persuading his friend and think carefully for a way to stop her from doing it. There had to be someone who could change her mind. Suddenly it came to him. Shadow. If he were to tell Shadow what would happen if they were to bring Maria back, Tails was certain that the ebony hedgehog would abort the plan completely and stay with Amy.

" Amy, I will tell Shadow what you are planning to do," the preteen finally said to the shocked pink hedgehog that looked up at her friend immediately.

" Tails, you can't do that!" she cried shaking her head vigorously, " he will stop me then!"

Tails rolled his eyes.

" That is the point, to stop you. I can't let you carry this through. Amy, you can be annoying and destructive sometimes but you are still my friend. You can't die,"

Amy sighed. She had no intention of aborting her plans, at least not until she found an alternative, if ever she did. However, maybe she could make Tails think she has given it up so she was not in danger of her boyfriend finding out. Maybe that was best for now.

" Okay Tails, you are right. It is a bit drastic, I promise to forget the whole thing," The pink hedgehog lied, trying her best to sound convincing. The yellow fox eyed her suspiciously as though he did not believe her, but decided not to press the matter.

" Great Amy! Now will you give my Emerald back? I need to test my new plane," the ten year old asked.

Amy gasped. She had not thought of that in her plan. Giving the Emerald back would mean she could not continue with her plans, but keeping it meant that Tails would know she was lying and tell Shadow her plans. There was only one option.

" Yes, I will give the Emerald back, but not today. I do not have it with me and I can't come back later. I doubt Shadow will let me out again today, he was not even going to let me come here! He is so overprotective!" the petite female explained. Tails laughed. That sounded like Shadow all right.

" Okay Ames, bring it round tomorrow, and I mean tomorrow," he replied, and his friend nodded. " You better get going back to Shadow then!" Tails continued, and again Amy nodded wile getting up from the sofa.

" See ya tomorrow then Tails!" the pink hedgehog cried fake cheerfully as she let herself out of the workshop shutting the door behind her as she set off back to Station Square.

While the female was walking, she tried to perfect in her mind the final details of what she and Shadow needed to do tomorrow. They were going to leave. Amy felt as though she had no other choice, otherwise Tails would ruin everything. All Amy had to do now was pack her suitcase and persuade Shadow to leave early in the morning. That would not be too hard, he would probably be eager to go, but it would be hard to find an explanation of why she was in such a hurry to leave right now, but Amy was sure she could think of something. Another thing the pink hedgehog was worried about while she was walking was saying goodbye to her friends. She would never see them again, as when her mission was completed she would be gone.

The teenager stopped and sighed. She felt again as though she has no choice but to go quietly. It was only Cream and Sonic she would really miss, and there was no time to go to the other side of town to visit the young rabbit. But there was Sonic. Amy did not know how much time she had spent out but it was not four hours. She had time before Shadow came out to find her. The pink hedgehog turned the other direction and ran as fast as she could towards the blue hedgehog's home.

Sonic kicked off his trainers and jumped into his bed with a can of cherryade. He opened the can and took a long sip before placing it on his bedside table, and curling up into a neat ball. The cerulean hero was not planning to do anything else that day, so a long nap could fill the hours until the next morning. He fell into a deep sleep immediately.

Finally, Amy made it to her friend's house. Out of breath because of running all the way there, she stopped and leaned on the front door to catch her breath before pressing down on the doorbell. The pink hedgehog waited patiently for the door to swing open and be greeted by a wide smile. However, nothing. Frowning, Amy pressed the doorbell, but it had the same effect. Disappointed, she sighed and backed away from the door thinking he was on a run.

Amy started to walk down the path leading back towards Shadow's house, but she stopped. She would never see the azure hedgehog again, she knew it. Amy did not want to leave before speaking to him one last time, and if that was not possible, writing him a letter. The pink hedgehog took out the small notepad and mini gel pen that she kept in her pocket at all times, and leaned up against Sonic's wall.

Amy wanted to think carefully about what to put, these were her last words to him. It did not matter if she spoke the truth and how she felt towards the azure hedgehog. Shakily, she put her pen to the paper and started to form her words…

Shadow paced up and down his house worried. Amy had been gone for three and half-hours. He had given her four, but he could not stop thinking about whether she would be okay. The ebony hedgehog hated to fret about his girlfriend so much, and he could not remember when he started to be so protective over someone since Maria died, but unfortunately he can't control his feelings. Trying to calm down, Shadow sat on his sofa and tried to clear his mind of all thoughts of Amy, but suddenly the loud ring of the doorbell made him leap up with relief. It had to be Amy.

The ebony hedgehog slowly made his way to the front door so not to seem over anxious, then opened it wide. Amy stood at the doorway, a weak smile on her face, but Shadow could tell there was something wrong. Her eyes where slightly red, and it looked like she had been crying.

" Ames, what is wrong?" he asked, but the pink hedgehog just forced her smile slightly wider and shook her head.

" Nothing," she stated simply, but unconvinced, Shadow put his arms around her as they walked inside and sat on the sofa.

" Tell me please," the ebony hedgehog continued to ask, and Amy sighed.

" We are going to leave for the eighth emerald tomorrow," the teenager cried, to the older hedgehog that frowned slightly.

" Ames, why so soon? I am desperate to go of course, but that does not leave me much notice. How about the day after tomorrow?" Shadow asked, but his girlfriend shook her head violently.

" It needs to be tomorrow," she finalised and Shadow sighed. It was obvious she was keeping something from him, what with the tears now this. However, it seemed as though he was not going to find out what now, so he might as well follow Amy's lead.

" Okay, what time are we leaving?" Shadow smiled.


	19. Chapter 19

I have finally updated, hooray! I have excuses for my slowness: exams, pokemon ranger, borrowing a wii from my friend, and writers block. But it is finally here. I've started writing a new story aswell, but I don't know if I will upload it. I have doubts whether it is good or not. Anyway, on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: Own no one.

A genuine smile appeared on Amy's face, but it was more of relief then happiness.

" We will leave at about six, maybe," she considered, and again Shadow stared at her. She was acting weirdly; she really hated to get up early. Why was she in such a hurry? He needed to know, he hated having things kept from him.

" Ames, how about we leave out slightly later? Saves you having to drag yourself out of bed at five or something. Its okay for me, but you girls have to be up earlier, doing makeup or whatever you do," the ebony hedgehog asked his girlfriend who giggled lightly.

" No. I am fine with it. We need to be out of town early and towards the Emerald," she replied, and Shadow frowned. He still had no more information from her. However, if he quizzed her too much Amy was sure to realise he knew something was not quite right. He wanted to get her when her guard was down.

" Sure, what will I need to pack?" Shadow gave in.

A long yawn escaped Sonic's lips as he slowly awoke from his nap. Stretching out like a cat, he finally drew up enough strength to get out of his bed. The azure hedgehog made his way downstairs, when he spotted a folded piece of paper lying on the doormat. Intrigued, he shot down the stairs in a matter of seconds, and scooped up the paper from the floor. His hands shaking, Sonic slowly unfolded the paper, eyes shut tight. He wanted to be prepared for whatever was written.

Suddenly opening his eyes, the world's famous hedgehog stared at the note. Sonic found neatly joined writing in a perfect line on the page, each 'I' dotted with a flower. He did not need to have seen the signature at the bottom of the page to tell whose handwriting it was.

"Amy," he whispered softly as he scanned quickly over what his friend had wrote him, becoming more and more confused as the note went on. Eventually Sonic shook his head and folded the note back up.

" I do not understand hardly any of this…but Tails will be able to," he thought to himself as he sprinted out his front door and out to the yellow fox's home.

Minutes later Sonic was knocking frantically on his best friend's front door, desperate for him to answer. Not only was the cerulean hedgehog puzzled by the note Amy left him, he was also slightly worried. It was unlike the pink hedgehog to do anything like that, but the note sounded serious.

Finally the workshop door opened, and Sonic was greeted by Tails, who had a warm smile on his face.

" Oh hey Sonic, I haven't seen ya in a while!" the yellow fox exclaimed, " I was just about to cook tea, want something?"

Sonic shook his head and followed Tails into the workshop.

" No," he stated firmly, " I need you to check this out," Sonic handed his friend Amy's note as they both sat down on the sofa. Tails frowned as he opened it up, and started to read it aloud.

" My dearest Sonic, there is so many things you won't understand in this letter, and about me. Tails might be able to inform you slightly about what it all means, but not fully. Don't ask him until a few days after you receive this however, for my own happiness," he started, " I am going away on a journey. Basically, that's it. However, I will never see you again. This is one journey I will never return from. I would explain, but it's too complicated. But there is one thing I can say. I love you Sonic. I maybe with Shadow, and I love him way more than you could ever realise, but that does not stop me loving you. I know we would never work, especially with the strong connection, I now have with Shadow, but I wanted you to know that before I go. Goodbye Sonic."

As soon as the yellow fox finished reading, Sonic leapt off the sofa flapping his arms madly.

" What does it mean?" he exclaimed loudly, " what does it mean by goodbye?"

Tails' eyes widened as he reread the note in his head, trying to take in every word. Then suddenly it clicked.

" She isn't…" Tails whispered slowly shaking his head, " no…she can't be."

The blue hedgehog stopped moving and stared at his friend.

" What Tails? What can't she be doing?" he demanded.

The yellow fox looked at Sonic sadly, and shook his head.

" You won't know until you sit down, I don't want you to run around and break something," he replied, and Sonic reluctantly agreed and sat down besides his friend.

" Okay Sonic, I don't like this, she is being stupid, but she is going to kill herself," Tails explained slowly.

Sonic's eyes widened, and he started to shake his head frantically.

" No…" he whispered, snatching the note from Tails' hand and re reading it, but when he saw what was written it made sense. Amy was to commit suicide. Dropping the note onto the floor, Sonic bowed his head and rested his hands on his knees, moaning softly. Tails stared at his depressed friend sadly, and placed his hand on his shoulder. Sonic looked up for a moment at the contact, but then continued to stare at the floor.

" Why is she doing this anyway?" The azure hedgehog cried, " Was it because of me, no, I have not done anything. It's Shadow; it must be that damn faker. If he has been abusing poor Amy or anything, I am gonna kill him!"

Tails sighed. He knew the truth about why Amy was to do this to herself, and it was not Shadow's fault. He had to explain to Sonic the pink hedgehog's reasons.

" Sonic, I know why Amy is going to kill herself," the yellow fox spoke causing Sonic to jump off the sofa immediately.

" Spill!" he demanded, pointing an angry finger towards Tails.

The two tailed fox nodded and patted the space next to him on the sofa to gesture to his friend to sit down. When Sonic was seated, the young fox began to explain what the pink hedgehog wanted to do. The blue hedgehog listened intently and hung on to every word his best friend uttered. When Tails ha finished Sonic just stared at him in disbelief. He could not believe what his friend was informing him. Amy Rose, cheerful Amy Rose, was to throw her life away in order to bring back a girl who has been long dead, all for her boyfriend that loved her more than anything on the planet.

" Tails… are you sure?" Sonic asked shakily, " Amy really wants to do that for Maria?" Tails nodded, and the blue hedgehog sighed. " I just do not get it, I still don't understand why she wants to do this," he admitted sadly resting his chin on his hands, " I mean she is only fourteen. She has talents, she could do something good with her life," Sonic continued, " be with someone good."

Tails heard that last comment, and sat up straight.

" What do you mean by that?" He asked Sonic teasingly, which caused the blue hedgehog to glare.

" Nothing," he replied testily, " but is there a way to stop Amy from killing herself?"

Tails thought for a moment, staring up into the sky, before nodding slowly.

" Maybe," he told his friend, " we could try to talk her out of it but I doubt it will do much good."

Sonic's face lit up for a split second at the news and sprang off the sofa, pulling Tails up with him.

" No time to loose then!" Sonic cried as he sprinted out the door at record speed, Tails following as closely as he could behind.

Amy walked to a fairly large wardrobe in the corner of the bedroom, and brushed the thick layer of dust from the handles as she pulled the doors open. The pink hedgehog was surprised to see the inside of the wardrobe was practically empty apart from a long black coat, and a navy scarf.

" Er…where are all your clothes Shad?" she asked, and Shadow let out a quick laugh.

" Ames, when have you ever seen me wear clothes?" He asked, and his girlfriend smiled while she continued to raid her lover's room for anything they might need for the journey tomorrow. She had already packed all her clothes and essentials around her home nights ago, prepared for when she was to leave.

Suddenly the high pitched sound of the doorbell rang throughout the room, and Shadow groaned.

" I only ever get two visitors, and you are here, so that must be that damn faker," the ebony hedgehog moaned, " Ames, you don't mind answering it do you?"

Amy shook her head and ran down the stars that led to the front door. Sure enough, when the young hedgehog swung the door open she was met with the figure of Sonic the Hedgehog, a worried look on his face.

" Amy, we need to talk," he stated firmly and Amy nodded, holding the door open wide open for him. The pink hedgehog watched as her friend marched through the door, then gasped as she saw who followed him in. Tails. Amy's heart started to beat faster as she realised what he wanted to talk about. Sonic had ignored the part of her note that stated that he was not to see Tails about it until a few days later when it would be too late to stop her. Swallowing, Amy closed the door gently and joined the guests in the living room.

When the fourteen year old walked into the room, she found that Sonic and Tails were already seated, both of them wearing a frown on their face.

" Sit down please Amy," Sonic requested, pointing to a comfortable armchair opposite the sofa that he was sitting on, and Amy reluctantly obeyed, folding her arms and avoiding all eye contact.

" Amy, is it true that you are going to kill yourself to resurrect Maria?" Sonic asked gently.

The pink hedgehog thought for a moment before slowly nodding her head, still staring at her feet, that she suddenly found extremely interesting. At Amy's reply, Sonic accidentally let out a small gasp, knowing that his worst fears were realised. Now, more determined then ever before, he was ready to save the pink hedgehog, only this time from herself.

" Ames, I do not understand," Sonic told her softly, choosing his words carefully, " why do you want to do this to yourself? Wouldn't Shadow be even more upset if you were dead?"

Amy shook her head violently at that last comment. She knew what she was planning to do was right. Shadow still grieved the loss of the twelve-year-old girl, and it was what he wanted most in the world. It was only right to give her lover what he wanted, needed, in life, and to her it felt right. She could not explain it, but it felt right that Shadow had the girl he wanted most in the world, even if it was not her. At this thought, Amy felt her emerald eyes fill with fresh tears, not yet ready to fall.

Watching Amy, Sonic felt even more confused then he was before. Why was she shaking her head? It was obvious that Shadow would be heartbroken if she carried out her plans. Yes, he would have Maria, but he did not love her the same way he loves Amy.

" Ames, sweetie, I know Shadow loves you very much," The blue hedgehog attempted to persuade Amy, " He would be devastated If you died. He loves you."

Again, the pink hedgehog shook her head. Yes, Amy knew Shadow loved her, but he would not be devastated. Maybe for a little while he might be upset, but then the pleasure of having Maria back with him would take away his sadness. More tears formed in Amy's eyes, now desperate to fall but the young hedgehog was determined to keep them back.

Sonic sighed. It seemed as though Amy had shut herself out from the truth, and could only see what she wanted to see, or maybe in this case, what she did not want to see. Talking Amy out of killing herself was proving to be a harder challenge then first thought. The well known hero thought he would just need to walk up to Amy, tell her that what she was doing was wrong, and bam. But it did not seem to be working quite like that.

Running out of hope, Sonic left the sofa and walked slowly towards Amy who still refused to lift her head.

" Amy," he whispered, placing a hand on her cheek, " look at me."

Slowly, the pink hedgehog lifted her head but stared straight past Sonic to the wall opposite her. She just could not look at him, or Tails. Amy could not bear to look at the expressions on their faces; the look of worry and disappointment mixed with anger in their eyes.

Sonic noticed this and looked at her sadly. Amy could not seem to realise that many people around her would miss her if she died; Cream, Tails, Knuckles, Rouge in her own way, Shadow, and him. Sonic loved Amy, but she just did not know it, no one did. Then suddenly it clicked, a way to talk Amy out of killing herself.

" Ames, sweetie, look me in the eyes please," Sonic pleaded, stroking the young females cheek softly, " I have something to tell you.

Shadow closed the zip on his old, black rucksack that he thought he would never use, and dumped on the floor next to his bed. Sighing, the tired hedgehog jumped onto his bed and sat on the warm sheets. It seemed to be awfully quiet downstairs, which must be an achievement for that loud, annoying blue hedgehog he had in his house. Something did not seem to be right to Shadow, something was happening downstairs and he needed to find out what, especially if it had anything to do with why Amy was acting weirdly.

The ebony hedgehog left his bed, and crept out of his bedroom door, trying to make as little noise as possible. Shadow tip-toed down his corridor, and down a few of the stairs until he found a good view of his lounge where he could see what was happening. The ebony hedgehog did not want to walk in and interrupt the conversation, if he did that they would shut up and he would not find out anything. Shadow wanted to know the full story.

To his horror, what the ebony hedgehog saw was Amy sitting down in his armchair, with Sonic kneeling in front of her, a worried expression on his face. However, what angered Shadow was that Amy was crying, streams of tears poured from her eyes, and dripped onto her dress.

' If that damn faker has made Amy cry then I am gonna kill him later!' Shadow thought to himself, continuing to watch the events downstairs.

" Sonic, is what you said true?" Amy managed to ask in between sobs, and the blue hedgehog nodded.

" Yes, Amy I love you with all my heart," Sonic replied.

Shadow gasped, and resisted running downstairs and punching the faker. He could not believe what he was hearing, Sonic just said to Amy that he loved her, his Amy. Gritting his teeth, Shadow crept a little closer to the lounge, he could not afford to miss a word.

" I'm so sorry Sonic, but I can't love you back, " Amy whispered, wiping the tears from her eyes, " I love Shadow."

After saying those words, the pink hedgehog began to cry harder, but Shadow breathed a sigh of relief. Amy did love him, and was not going to leave him for Sonic. At least that was a good thing.

Hearing Amy's reply, Sonic stood up straight and shook his head.

" Ames, I know, but your missing my point, " the blue hedgehog sighed running his hands through his quills, " we would both miss you if you killed yourself."

" Oh my god," Shadow whispered inaudibly, his heart racing, " she is going to kill herself!"

Unable to resist, the ebony hedgehog stormed into the lounge making everyone jump, and ran up to Amy.

" What is this about killing yourself?" he asked sternly, grabbing hold of his girlfriend's hand tightly, " tell me now."

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, the next one will be up...er...when I have thought what happens next!


	20. Chapter 20

Yay, I have finally updated. This chapter is alot shorter than the last few, but I hope you still enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I own nobody. Sega owns them.

Sonic and Tails both gasped and Amy began to cry even harder, trying to wriggle her hands free from Shadow's painfully tight grasp.

" N-n-nothing Shadow," Amy stuttered in between cries, " you must have mis-heard,"

Sonic and Tails exchanged glances at the pink hedgehog's reply, wondering whether to back her up for now or if Shadow knowing the truth would be for the best. However, this decision did not have to be made as the furious hedgehog was taking in none of her lies.

" Amy, do not lie to me!" he fumed, squeezing her delicate hand extremely hard, causing the fourteen year old to scream in pain.

" Sh-Shadow your hurting me!" Amy sobbed weakly, letting out throaty coughs as she choked on her ever-falling tears.

Realising how much he was hurting his girlfriend, Shadow let go of her hand immediately, breathing in deeply. He had to have better control of his anger; he was dealing with an emotionally distressed girl, his girl, not Eggman. When he felt his temper had subsided, Shadow pulled Amy up from the armchair and embraced her, holding the crying hedgehog close to him.

" I'm sorry Ames, I did not mean to hurt you," he apologised softly, stroking the girl's back gently, " we don't have to talk about it now okay? We will wait until tomorrow when you have calmed down. We will forget about it for tonight and have a nice time."

" Thank you Shadow," Amy whispered back, closing her eyes and letting the last of the tears fall, as she slowed her breathing and tried to relax in her boyfriend's arms.

When Shadow was sure that Amy was slightly calmer, he let go of the pink hedgehog, leading her to his sofa where they both sat down.

" Okay then anyone want a drink, or snack?" Shadow asked, trying to change the mood of the room but failing.

" Shadow, you have no snacks," Amy muttered, drying her eyes " and not much drink."

" That's okay, we will go now anyway," Sonic stated getting off the sofa. He hated awkward situations, " we will see you another time."

" Oh, bye then Sonic… and Tails," Shadow said slowly as he watched the azure hedgehog and the fox boy exit his house leaving him alone with Amy on the sofa.

The two of them said nothing, both unable to start any kind of conversation. Shadow just sat on the sofa arms crossed glancing around the lounge, while Amy sat still incapable of taking her wet eyes off the floor. Finally, after what seemed like an age the young hedgehog broke the silence.

" I…should go too," she whispered, her eyes still fixated to the floor not wanting to look Shadow in the eyes, " I'm hungry, and tired. I need some sleep."

Frowning, the ebony hedgehog looked to the small, round clock on the wall in front of him, then shook his head viciously at his girlfriend.

" Ames, its nearly eleven!" He cried, " You can't go out on the streets at this time!"

At this point Amy finally lifted up her head and looked at Shadow, a pleading look in her eyes.

" Couldn't you walk me home or Chaos Control me or something?" she asked sweetly, regaining some of the colour in her cheeks that vanished earlier. Again, Shadow shook his head.

" I can't be bothered to go out, just stay here the night!" he exclaimed, " My double bed is extremely comfortable."

At this request Amy's eyes widened as she stared at her boyfriend. He said stay the night in his house. In his double bed. The fourteen-year-old gazed into Shadow's eyes trying to figure out what he was thinking. Was the ebony hedgehog trying to hint at something? Amy hoped he was not. She was only fourteen, not yet ready to take such a huge leap into adulthood. The thought alone frightened her, sending chills down her back.

" You sleep in my bed, and I'll sleep on the sofa. I do not mind sleeping on the sofa at all." Shadow continued to speak. Hearing those words, the pink hedgehog let out a small sigh of relief. Of course that was what her boyfriend meant. Shadow was the type of guy that respected other people and their feelings. Amy was not feeling too good anyway; her mind was all shaken up by all of the bad situations she had got into today. First Sonic finding out about her plan, and now Shadow demanded to know what is happening. If anything else happened today, the young hedgehog feared that she might implode!

" Okay, Shadow that will be fine," Amy replied with a small smile, " If you are sure you don't mind."

" I do not mind at all, Ames," Shadow stated, grabbing his girlfriend by the hand and beginning to lead her upstairs into his bedroom. When they finally reached the fairly large bedroom, the ebony hedgehog hurried up to his bed to clear the bed of all the items he was packing for the journey, and then he smoothed down the quilt until it looked as neat as he could get it.

" There you go Ames," he said softly lifting up the quilt so Amy could get in, " now you relax."

" Thank you Shadow," Amy whispered, swiftly removing her top and trousers before diving into the warm bedsheets. She hated to sleep in clothes, but also did not really fancy Shadow seeing her in her old white knickers and matching bra. Therefore, the fourteen-year-old hoped she made it into the bed before the older hedgehog could catch a glimpse of her, however as the ebony male was tucking her in a scarlet blush was visible across his cheeks, so Amy had her suspicions that he had seen her.

When Shadow had finished making his girlfriend comfortable, he stroked the top of her head gently and kissed her lightly on her pale cheek.

" Goodnight Amy Rose, sweet dreams," he whispered, " tomorrow I would greatly appreciate it if you tell me what makes you want to commit suicide. I do not like being kept in the dark. Then if you are up to it, we can start our quest to bring back Maria. I am starting to get really excited about seeing her again," and with these final words, he left the room, turning off the lamp he had left on so Amy was in total darkness.

When the pink hedgehog heard the door shut and quick footsteps move downstairs, she tried closing her eyes but immediately opened them again. She knew she would not be able to sleep, how could she? If Amy told Shadow the truth, and that the only way to bring back Maria was to kill herself…she could not imagine his feelings. She could not even begin to visualise what would be running through his mind. He was really looking forward to seeing Maria again, he seemed so excited. The most excited Amy had ever seen him. So dropping in the bombshell of what would happen to his girlfriend if he were going to see Maria again would shatter him. The troubled female really did not want to see the expression on Shadow's face if she told him that. The only way she could get through this was by lying. Again. Amy's lies had got her into a lot of trouble of late and she was reluctant to make up another tale to cover her back. However, the fourteen-year-old could think of no other options. Sighing, Amy closed her eyes again and began to make up her story…

Thank you for reading, so please review!


	21. Chapter 21

This is probobly the last you will get from me for a while as on thursday I will be away for weeks and weeks. Unless somehow I manage to get another chapter done over the next few days. Unlikely. So please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone used in the story.

Knocking once lightly on the bedroom door then entering before waiting for a reply, Shadow tiptoed into where Amy Rose was staying the night. To his relief, he found the pink hedgehog asleep, a relaxed expression on her face. The older hedgehog was worried the night before that she may not have been able to sleep with too much going through her young mind, but obviously he had not needed to worry. Bending down slightly over the bed, the ebony male gently massaged Amy's shoulder that was exposed from under the thick duvet that covered most of the female. Slowly, Amy began to stir, and Shadow removed his hand from her shoulder as the rosy teenager awoke. Finally, the hedgehog's emerald eyes snapped open, and she sat up, still holding the duvet up to her scarcely clothed body.

" Good morning Shadow," she yawned sleepily stretching her arms high in the air, " how are you today?"

" Just a minute, " Shadow spoke quickly in reply, and rushed out of the room. Amy remained still as she heard footsteps hurry down the stairs, puzzled at her boyfriend's actions. However, it all came clear a moment later as the door was pushed open again, and Shadow stepped into the room carrying a tray full of breakfast, a smile on his face.

" Thought you would want breakfast," the ebony male explained as he placed the tray on his girlfriend's lap. A wide smile was all he got in reply as Amy happily reached for a slice of toast, and began to devour it in huge bites, eating it as though she had been starving for months. As soon as that slice was finished, the pink hedgehog reached for another. Shadow watched in disbelief, shaking his head amazed.

" Okay, you enjoy that," he said slowly walking out the door, " I will leave you now to eat and get dressed. Then I will see you downstairs. We need to talk," then he left Amy in peace.

When Shadow left the room, Amy sighed deeply as she chucked back a glass of orange juice. It was about to be the moment of truth. She had a story all worked out, another lavishly detailed lie. Amy could act, no doubt about that, but this time it would be the hardest. Shadow the Hedgehog, the ultimate lifeform, was in no way easy to fool.

Finishing the last of her breakfast, Amy Rose finally forced herself out of bed, and started to climb into the clothes that she left lying creased on the floor. As soon as she was properly dressed, the pink hedgehog took a deep breath and made her way downstairs and into the lounge, running through the details of her story throughout the journey.

When Amy entered the lounge she saw Shadow sitting on the sofa, a solemn expression on his face as he patted the seat next to him. Obediently, the pink hedgehog walked slowly over to the sofa and sat where Shadow told her. As soon as she was touching the cushioned seat, the ebony hedgehog began.

" Amy, it is true you are planning to kill yourself, isn't it?" he interrogated looking straight into the adolescent's eyes.

The pink hedgehog said nothing for a minute, sometimes opening her mouth as though she was about to speak, but then closing it again. Finally, she decided that she had better say something.

" Sorry Shadow," was the only reply Amy could muster as she suddenly burst into uncontrollable and unplanned tears that dripped into her mouth, " I'm so sorry."

The older male was taken aback at this sudden outburst. He did not expect his girlfriend to suddenly break down after asking one question; it could make it impossible to get anything out of her if the only reply she would give is tears. Shadow thought all the crying was out of the way the night before, but girls were weird. If he had learnt something over the last few months, he had learnt that. That girls were so much different than men, that they seemed to experience all these different emotions and moods that could change in a second. Shadow rarely experienced all these feelings, and had no clue of how to deal with a crying girl. He did not know whether to attempt at comforting her, or how to. Would Amy push him away if he tried to hold her, does she expect him to suddenly come out with sweet words that would make everything better?

After a minute of contemplating an idea strolled into Shadow's mind, something he had overlooked throughout everything. So the ebony hedgehog took a deep breath and wrapped his arms securely around his girlfriend's waist pulling her closely to him.

" Amy don't cry, and don't apologise," the ebony hedgehog whispered gently, not believing that these soft words were coming from his own mouth, " If you do want to kill yourself, it is not your fault. It is not your fault if you feel like you want to end your life. You have been through so many ordeals lately, what with Eggman locking you up in a cell, and nearly being shot. So many traumatising things have happened to you, and I never really considered the emotional scars that could have been left on you. Therefore, I am sorry. Sorry for shouting at you and sorry for never stopping to consider your emotional state. If anyone should be apologising it should be me. So Amy Rose, I am sorry. I promise to always look after you from now, no harm will ever come to you again, I swear."

When Shadow had finished these words, he kissed the top of Amy's head and began to stoke her quills, as the young hedgehog buried her face into his thick bib of white fur, still crying.

" It is okay now, I will help you through this no matter how long it takes, " Shadow hushed continuing to caress Amy's head and beginning to feel like a therapist, something he never thought he could aspire to be, " I know how you feel. When Maria died, I went into a period of self-hatred. I blamed myself for the death of her, and I just wanted to end my own life in punishment. However, I overcame this. And I overcame my phase of blaming humans and wanting revenge. Therefore you can overcome wanting to kill yourself."

" Thank you so much Shadow," Amy whispered into her lover's fur as she slowed her breathing and her tears began to subside.

Those words that Shadow had said about Eggman and what she had faced over the past few months was going to be her story anyway, she was just glad that she did not have to recite it. The ebony hedgehog, although definitely not gullible, had seemed to assume that it was her reason for wanting to commit suicide.

A small smile flickered onto Amy's pale face for a moment as she remembered what Shadow had said to her. All those gentle words seemed weird coming out of Shadow's mouth; he was not the sort to be sympathetic or comforting. If there was one thing that the rosy hedgehog had noticed over the time that she has been together with the ebony male was that he was starting to soften, and Amy was sure that it was her influence on him. If he was presented with a crying girl a month ago, he would have stormed off disgusted, not embrace her and offer words of comfort.

It was the words of comfort, actually, that opened up various thoughts and memories in the young female's mind. Awful memories that she had almost forgotten with the stressful times of recent, and thoughts and debates in her mind that she never thought she would have. As Amy remembered being pale and weak, starving in a pitch black claustrophobic cell, how she was tied up to a chair with a gun pointed at her, how badly Sonic treated her, and how she attempted to end her life before a theory appeared in her head. Were these reasons why Amy now really wanted to kill herself for Maria? Before her first period of suffering the teenager was in no way sure she wanted to die for Maria, it was just an option that entered her mind and deserved consideration. However, as all the pain and tribulations piled itself into Amy's life the option of committing suicide for Maria became more and more definite in her mind, like it was all she could focus on, and she could not remember how it happened.

Then the pink hedgehog realised, as it all began to make sense. She was scared. Not scared, terrified, paranoid, panicky. Amy was terrified that again she would be tortured, and did not want to suffer anymore. Anything would be better than suffering in a cell or being told how much she was hated. No one had loved her, and her mind only seemed to let negative thoughts filter through into her brain. Amy just wanted to die so it would end her distress, and if she could bring back another by doing that even better. But now Shadow loved her, he promised to always take care of her. Dying did not have to be an option any longer…

Amy's thoughts were interrupted as Shadow began to speak again now he was sure his girlfriend had calmed.

" Amy, now that we have got this sorted tomorrow can we begin to retrieve the eighth emerald?" He began slowly, " but only if you feel up to it. I do not want to rush anything and we could just relax for one more day I suppose, as I really do not want to put anymore pressure on you. What do you think? Ready for tomorrow?"

Amy swallowed. What was she to do now? For the first time Amy felt as though she could give the quest up, she felt truly happy with Shadow. The pink hedgehog could tell the ebony male the truth, and she knew he would understand. Yes, he may be a little devastated for a day or two, but after that they could forget the whole thing. Then she could have a future, a future with Shadow. They could someday get married, and have children. Amy had always wanted children. A girl and a boy at least, but three children would be nice…

" Amy, honey, are you listening?" Shadow asked gently, stroking her head. Again, the pink hedgehog left her thoughts, as she knew she would have to now give an answer. Amy just hoped that her mouth would not let her down, it tended to say unwanted things when she was worried or under stress. She just prayed that whatever was now said, it would be the right thing.

" Okay Shadow," Amy began quickly, not considering her words, " tomorrow will be perfect."

Thanks for reading, please review!


	22. Chapter 22

Sorry this has taken so long to do, I have been away for practically the whole holiday! I hope you enjoy it anyway, and you might want to know I am halfway through the last chapter, which is the next one! i also have another story in progress too!

Disclaimer: I do not own anybody.

Amy awoke from her trouble free sleep in the early hours of the next morning, refreshed and full of energy for the nightmarish trip that was in the day ahead of her. When the pink hedgehog had finished showering and eating, she picked up her large rucksack that was filled to the brim and dragged it into the lounge, where she sat holding it on her sofa waiting for the door bell to ring. Amy's legs shook violently as she waited; the waiting is always the worse. She was scared, no, terrified, and one part of her still did not want to carry through with her plan. It was not too late to phone Shadow and tell him the truth, however another part of her wanted to sacrifice herself, and that part of her seemed to be the most dominate side of her mind.

Suddenly the doorbell rang, and Amy let out a small scream. She was so deep in her thoughts the high pitched noise slightly startled her. After getting over the initial shock, Amy rose from her seat and took a deep breath. This was going to be it, the beginning of the end of her life. The pink hedgehog slung her bag over her back, and hurried to the door to let in her boyfriend. Amy swung open her front door and sure enough, the dark hedgehog stood in front of her, a similar rucksack to Amy's on his back. When he saw his girlfriend, he looked her up and down, a confused expression on his face.

" Why are you dressed like that?" Shadow asked, and Amy giggled.

" We are going somewhere cold," she replied simply. The young female was dressed in a thick white dress, with a red, padded jacket over the top, gloves, scarf, and woolly hat. On her feet instead of her usual crimson boots, were a pair of big, black, walking boots that looked like it would hurt if being stomped on by them.

" You did not tell me that," Shadow whispered frowning, until now he had no idea of where they were headed, and somehow he did not think to ask.

Amy's usual cheery expression fell for a moment, when she realised that Shadow was dressed in nothing but his fur, but then it brightened again when she remembered something.

" Wait there a sec Shad," She cried, and ran into her bedroom where she raided her wardrobe for things her boyfriend might need, then she ran back and dumped them into Shadow's arms. " These are for you!" Amy exclaimed smiling. Shadow picked up Amy's scarf, looked at them distastefully, before dropping them back on the pile.

" I appreciate your help Amy, but I will manage without them," Shadow announced, holding the pile of clothes out to his girlfriend, who crossed her arms and frowned in reply.

" Don't be so silly Shadow," she scolded, " I don't want you to freeze to death!"

The ebony hedgehog sighed, and then grimaced as he pulled on a jumper and wrapped a scarf around his neck. ' At least they are not pink, but red,' he thought as he placed a hat over his ears.

" Ahh, you look adorable!" Amy squealed, and placed a small kiss on his lips, " now lets go!" She then grabbed Shadow by the hand, and began to lead him towards the last emerald.

Tails opened the bedroom door, and carried in a cup of coffee to the lazy hedgehog that was still in his bed. Although not asleep, Sonic seemed to have no plans for the rest of the day apart from sitting in his duvet and playing games on his DS. However, the pre adolescent fox had other ideas. Making sure not to step on his sleeping bag that remained on the floor from the previous night, Tails handed the cup to sonic who flashed him a grateful smile. The fox waited until the azure hedgehog had finished his drink before explaining his idea for the day.

" I think we should go and see Amy," Tails told his friend, who frowned.

" Why?" He replied, and the yellow fox rolled his eyes.

" Because I want my emerald back now that she does not need it, and I think we should make sure she is okay. You know, after everything."

Sonic thought for a second before grinning widely.

" Yeah, lets do that!" he cried, " but let me have a few minutes more in bed first."

Shadow lay his old blanket on top of the thick layer of snow and sat down with Amy besides him. They had been struggling through the snow for two hours now, and already the couple felt like they had slept in a freezer. Shadow was amazed that Amy, although with a map, seemed to know where she was going, as everywhere they had walked looked the same to him, but they were now taking a rest for lunch. As soon as Amy sat down her bottom began to freeze and turn numb, even on the thick blanket, and she decided that they were going to have to eat fast.

" At least it is not snowing!" Cried Amy, trying to be optimistic as Shadow handed her a flask that seemed to still be warm under the frigid conditions. She quickly removed the lid and took a long sip, the hot liquor tasting extremely inviting down her throat. After replacing the lid, Amy delved into her own rucksack, retrieving a cellophane bag full of sandwiches, which she handed to Shadow for first choice. The ebony male selected a ham sandwich before handing the bag back to his girlfriend.

" How long is it now until we reach the emerald Ames?" He asked while taking a bite from his sandwich.

" 'Bout another two hours," she replied, and Shadow nodded. It made sense.

The couple hurried to eat their lunch, and again set off towards their destination, treading carefully in the snow as so not to slip. Amy led the way as she had the map, but Shadow was less than half a metre behind her, holding her hand in an attempt to warm them both up. He was glad that he was wearing Amy's clothes now.

Sonic pressed Amy's doorbell for the fifth time, frustrated, and peered through her tiny window. Again, there was no reply.

" Maybe she is at Shadow's place?" Tails suggested, and his cerulean friend shrugged.

" I will try and ring her landline first," he replied, and began to type in the number he had memorised long ago, and waited impatiently for her to pick up. However, instead of Amy, he was rewarded by her answer machine.

" I am sorry, but I am away on a long journey now," the pink hedgehog's voice spoke softly, " and I do not know when I will again return. Love you all, Amy Rose."

Sonic gasped, and dropped his mobile, allowing to land on the floor with a thud, making Tails jump.

" What is it Sonic?" Tails asked worried, as Sonic's face began to turn pale.

" I think Amy has gone with Shadow to bring back Maria," he whispered, a feeling of failure starting to well up in his chest, " Amy. Bright, cheerful, Amy is going to die. My little Rose, gone."

Tails' face fell hearing Sonic, and his face immediately turned into a frown.

" We need to go after them and stop her!" he exclaimed, but Sonic shook his head.

" How can we, we don't have the faintest idea of where they are," he said slowly, close to tears.

Tails let out a small smile.

" I have a machine that shows the location of any chaos energy being used, and they will have to use some before she dies anyway," the fox explained, " then you can use my fake chaos emerald to chaos control to their location and stop her!"

Sonic suddenly leapt up into the air, and hugged Tails tightly, a huge smile beginning to form on his face.

" Tails, you are a lifesaver, literally!" Sonic cried happily, " We will do that, that will work!"


End file.
